Huckabee's Appeal

John Hanlon | September 21, 2009 12:23 AM

With over three years before the next presidential election, some may say that it is too early to have a straw poll. However, considering the long primary process and the fact that candidates need to be prepared to campaign months before an actual announcement of an intent to run, now may not be too early of a time to see which leaders stand out to conservatives as possible contenders for the Republican nomination in 2012.

With that in mind, the Values Voter Summit this past weekend featured an early straw poll that gave former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee a strong victory. According to CNN.com, "Huckabee won the straw poll Saturday, grabbing nearly 29 percent of the vote. Romney, Pawlenty, Palin and Pence each won roughly 12 percent of the 597 votes cast."

This poll might not mean a lot in the long term considering the ups and downs of a primary campaign. However, what it does mean is that Huckabee still has great support amongst values voters and some conservative activists whereas none of the other candidates seemed to stand out for those who attended the conference. Although some things have changed since the Republican presidential primary, Huckabee's influence and his popularity still remains and whether or not he enters the presidential primary, his influence will likely still be felt in that important primary.