Value Voter Debate and Straw Poll in Ft. Lauderdale

Gov. Mike Huckabee will be returning to Florida to participate in the Value Voter 2008 Presidential Debate taking place in Ft Lauderdale on Monday, September 17, 2007.

According to promotional material, this debate will be unique in that “candidates will be asked questions related to abortion, immigration, marriage and other issues Values Voters consider important.” More information is available HERE.

Surprisingly, all four candidates leading in national polls - Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney, John McCain, and Fred Thompson – have not committed to attend the event. This will certainly be seen as a snub, not only to evangelical conservatives, but also to Florida’s Republican primary voters.

Gov. Huckabee in Orlando

Gov. Huckabee reached out to members of the International Association of Machinists on Monday with his message of building a strong economy and protecting American jobs. Here’s some coverage from the Palm Beach Post:

The Republican, who raised eyebrows this month with a surprise second-place finish in the Iowa straw poll, hoped to gain traction by pushing what Republicans call the Fair Tax as a means of relief for the middle class. The Fair Tax, generally, would eliminate the Internal Revenue Service by replacing all federal taxes with a national sales tax.

He also extolled a blue-collar upbringing in which his father worked as a firefighter and mechanic.

"If I asked how many of you had confidence that your children and your grandchildren would be living an even better life than you, my fear is that nobody's hand would go up," Huckabee said. "We can and must change that."

Full story…

Click here for more photos from the Orlando Sentinel

And here for additional coverage in the International Herald Tribune

Huckabee Campaigns in Florida

Gov. Huckabee will be in Orlando, Florida on Monday, August 27th to participate in the International Association of Machinist convention.

Read the campaign's media advisory.

Visit the IAM site for more information.

Huckabee gains in Florida poll; Passes McCain among Conservatives

The most recent Florida tracking poll from Rasmussen Reports brings good news to Mike Huckabee’s Florida campaign. This indicates that Huckabee is clearly moving into first tier status. Here is the report from the St. Petersburg Times:

From Rasmussen Reports: "Rudy Giuliani leads the Republican Presidential Primary in Florida with 30% support in the latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey. Fred Thompson and Mitt Romney are nearly even in second place. Thompson earns 17% of the vote while Romney attracts 15%.

"John McCain at 7% and Mike Huckabee at 5% form a third tier of candidates. Filling out the slate, four other candidates split five percent (5%) of the vote and 22% are undecided.

"These numbers reflect significant changes from the last Rasmussen Reports poll in Florida. The change brings good news for Giuliani, Romney, and Huckabee. It’s bad news for Thompson and McCain. A month ago, Giuliani and Thompson were virtually tied for first while Romney and McCain were tied for third. Huckabee wasn’t even on the radar screen at that time. Even among conservative Primary voters in Florida, Giuliani has the edge. Among conservatives, it’s 25% for the Mayor, 19% for Thompson, and 17% for Romney. Huckabee is supported by 7% of conservatives, McCain by 4%.