Michael Dale “Mike” Huckabee is an American politician, Christian minister, author, musician, and commentator.
He served as the 44th governor of Arkansas from 1996 to 2007 and was a candidate in the United States Republican presidential primaries in 2008 and 2016.
Huckabee hosted a Fox News Channel show named HUCKABEE for seven years, ending the show when he left to run for president in 2008. He also hosted a radio show on Cumulus Media Networks in 2012 and 2013.
Prior to serving as governor of Arkansas, Huckabee served as lieutenant governor from 1993-1996, winning a special election race for that post. In 1995, while lieutenant governor, he announced his plans to run for the U.S. Senate. He ultimately dropped out of that race to fill the governor’s spot when then governor Tucker was convicted of arranging fraudulent loans as part of the Whitewater case. Huckabee was elected to full terms in 1998 and 2002. He received widespread praise for his response to Hurricane Katrina, and was named by Time magazine as one of the top five governors in the U.S. in 2005.
Huckabee served as a Baptist minister in his native state of Arkansas from 1981 to 1991. He was elected to the presidency of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention in 1989 and served as president from 1989 to 1991.
He is the author of numerous books, plays electric bass guitar in a rock cover band, and has received two honorary doctoral degrees. He married his wife, Janet, in 1974 and they have three children.