Huckabee Keeps Name in 2016 Mix

2008 candidate passed in 2012, but may run for president again

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Herman Cain, left, and former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee perform a gospel song for supporters in Cain's tent at the Ames Straw Poll at the Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa on August 13, 2011.

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee says he’s considering another presidential campaign in 2016.

“I’m keeping the door open,” Huckabee told the New York Times  on Thursday. “I think right now the focus needs to be on 2014, but I’m mindful of the fact that there’s a real opportunity for me.”

Huckabee was a 2008 contender for the Republican nomination. He passed on running in 2012. He rocketed to prominence after his come-from-behind win in the Iowa caucuses in 2008, but his campaign imploded after running short of cash and failing to draw support in later primary contests. The Christian conservative and current host of his own Fox News show says money will be a major deciding factor in whether or not he mounts a campaign in 2016.

“If I talk to people and they say, ‘If you run, we’re in and we’re in in a big way,’ that’s helpful,” he said. “If I don’t hear that, you know what? This will be a real easy decision for me to make beause I’ve jumped in a pool without water before and it’s  a hard hit at the bottom.”

[NYT]