Posted: 05/06/2015 at 5:21pm | IP Logged

He's Back: Huckabee's Tough Talk a Winning Ticket?

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CBN News

WASHINGTON -- A familiar face has joined the Republican presidential field: former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.

The 59-year-old chose a familiar location for his presidential announcement that carries a message for his campaign: Hope, Arkansas.

Huckabee, who did well with evangelical voters in 2008, will emphasize a broader populist message this time around. Recent polling shows his likeability ratings are through the roof.

"It's good news. It means people believe they can trust you, that you say what you mean and you mean what you say, and this day in politics I believe is the most important quality of all," he told CBN News.

Another quality he will need is to show he's tough enough to fight the war on terror. In an attempt to head off that concern, he's striking with ads like one comparing radical Islam to a rattlesnake.

"You take their heads off with a 4-10 shotgun or a hoe before they bite you," Huckabee says in the ad.

Huckabee told CBN News, "When we look at something that is inherently evil like radical jihadism let's quit kidding ourselves and pretending that we're going to have some negotiated settlement because we're not."

"They believe that they are here on earth to kill every last one of us in the name of God," he said.

Team Huckabee is hoping a combination of tough talk and a down-home nature will be the winning ticket in 2016.