Huckabee Reportedly Asked to Consider Presidential Bid, But He Demurs

By Sophie Quinton

Updated: September 30, 2011 | 4:28 p.m.
September 30, 2011 | 3:49 p.m.

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee is reportedly mulling another presidential bid, but he said it was "news to me.". (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

Republicans and conservatives unhappy with the GOP presidential field have asked Mike Huckabee to consider jumping into the race, Reuters reported on Friday. But Huckabee threw cold water on the idea.

"It's news to me that I'm sitting down and plotting my comeback," Huckabee told Fox News.

Sources told Reuters that the former Arkansas governor and 2008 also-ran is considering “the request for conversations” about running for president. Huckabee announced on his Fox News show in May that he wouldn't mount a presidential bid.

Disillusionment with Texas Gov. Rick Perry has led conservatives to turn to Huckabee, who has strong evangelical and conservative credentials, a source told Reuters.

In 2008, Huckabee won the Iowa caucus, making him a sudden but short-lived sensation, and then seven other states: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Tennessee, West Virginia, Louisiana, and Kansas.

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