Supporters portray him as the nicest guy in the presidential race, a personable preacher with homespun humor who plays in a rock band and managed, through preternatural discipline, to conquer his own obesity.
Detractors see him as a darker character who holds a grudge and throws sharp elbows, as evidenced by his suggestion that Mormons like Mitt Romney believe that Jesus Christ’s brother is Satan.
These dueling depictions of Mike Huckabee are coming into sharper focus as the surging dark horse solidifies his lead in Iowa’s first-in-the-nation caucuses and girds for a nationwide battle for the GOP nomination.
So far, the image of Huckabee as the nonthreatening optimist is carrying the day, according to professor Christopher Hull of Georgetown University.
“I don’t know that the dark side of him as a scheming, Hillary-like plotter has registered with voters,” said Hull, author of the new book, “Grassroots Rules: How the Iowa Caucus Helps Elect American Presidents.”
For Huckabee, Iowa is the kind of place where he can keep his good-natured side front and center.
“The Iowa caucus — because of the voters and because of the nature of the contest, which requires you to actually build up, rather than tear down — does definitely promote positive campaigning,” Hull said. “That’s why I would question Romney’s ability to strike back strongly enough without provoking a backlash.”
Last week, Huckabee apologized to Romney for suggesting that Mormons believe Jesus is the brother of Satan. But the political damage might have already been done in Iowa, where evangelical Christians are embracing Huckabee, a Baptist minister who advertises his Christianity on TV ads.
In one sense, Huckabee has been the victim of his own success. When he was considered a dark-horse candidate with little chance of winning, the media portrayed him in a flattering light. But now that he is gaining support, Huckabee is being subjected to a higher level of scrutiny.
For example, last weekend Newsweek reported that when Huckabee was governor of Arkansas, he might have improperly quashed an investigation into whether his teenage son was involved in the hanging of a dog at a Boy Scout camp. Huckabee denied any wrongdoing.
Potentially more damaging is Huckabee’s support for the parole of convicted rapist Wayne DuMond, who was released from prison while Huckabee was governor and went on to rape and kill a woman in Missouri.
“It’s something I’ll have to face, and I know that. I didn’t handle it like I would like to. If I had it all to do over,I would have probably said and done some things differently,” Huckabee told The Examiner in an interview. “It’s a horrible tragedy. There’s nothing but regret on everybody’s part.”
