Former Arkansas governor and TV host Mike Huckabee announced that he is leaving his Fox News talk show as part of his consideration to run for president in 2016.
Huckabee made the announcement Saturday night during his “Huckabee” show when he said that the broadcast would be his last as he ponders his political future.
Expecting to seek the Republican nomination, Huckabee said, “There’s been a great deal of speculation as to whether I would run for president. And if I were willing to absolutely rule that out, I could keep doing this show. But I can’t make such a declaration.”
“Now, I’m not going to make a decision about running until late in the spring of 2015, but the continued chatter has put Fox News into a position that just isn’t fair to them — nor is it possible for me to openly determine political and financial support to justify a race. The honorable thing to do at this point is to end my tenure here at Fox. Now, as much as I have loved doing the show, I cannot bring myself to rule out another presidential run.”
“Huckabee” has aired weekly on Fox News for the last six years. Taped in front of a live audience, the show featured political commentary, interviews and musical entertainment.
Huckabee, a Baptist pastor with a large Evangelical fan base, last ran for the Republican nomination in 2008. He came in second to John McCain at the Iowa GOP caucus.
A vocal supporter of Israel, Huckabee has made over 40 trips to Israel throughout the years. This past June, Huckabee visited the homes of Avi and Rachel Frenkel, whose son Naftali was kidnapped and killed along with two other youth by Hamas terrorists.
Naftali was a dual citizen of both Israel and the United States. When asked about President Barack Obama’s lackluster response to the kidnapping of an American citizen, Huckabee answered: “Naftali Frenkel is an American citizen. Because he is a citizen we have not only an emotional response but a constitutional duty to ensure that the whole world understands that this takes it to a new level for the US. You kidnap an American citizen; now all bets are off. You hurt that kid and you don’t want to know what the results would be.”
Following Operation Protective Edge, Huckabee organized a pro-Israel rally in front of Washington’s Capitol Hill. With thousands in attendance, the former governor slammed Obama for his “weak” support of Israel.
“Israel is our closest ally and friend in the Middle East, and they are suffering due to the weak policies of the Obama administration. The president has done little to recognize the growing threat of Hamas. God has protected this tiny, but increasingly powerful nation, and it’s time for the United States to do the same,” he said.
In response to supporters of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, Huckabee didn’t mince words when he called Israel boycotters “embarrassingly stupid.”
