Michael Medved:
In just a month, GOP Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee has gone from a distant fifth place in national polls to the position of frontrunner, according to the latest Rasmussen Report—three points ahead of long-time leader Rudy Giuliani.
Contrary hostile commentators, Huckabee’s rise bears little connection with anti-Mormon bigotry against Mitt Romney: Romney still draws a fifth of evangelical Christian voters, just as he did before the Huck-a-surge. There’s also no media conspiracy behind the Huck-Man’s sudden celebrity: intensive press attention to Huckabee’s campaign was a result of sharply rising poll numbers, not a cause of the increased popularity.
The real reasons Mike Huckabee is suddenly a serious contender are his affable attitude and his refusal –so far- to engage in the petty attacks and negative campaigning that have pre-occupied Rudy and Romney. The American people feel weary of bitterness and bickering and respond well to a plain-spoken nice guy who talks about common-sense and positive solutions.