Mike Huckabee has found plenty of use for Fox News, even though he left the channel in January to make a second run for the Republican presidential nomination.
In May, Huckabee was the Republican candidate to appear most on Fox programming, according to a study by the liberal watchdog Media Matters. Huckabee made 7 appearances on the network, and was on for a total of 1 hour and 10 minutes.
Huckabee hosted his own weekly program on Fox from 2008 to 2015.
Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, another Republican running for president, appeared on Fox 12 times but for only 53 minutes total.
Third was retired neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson, with six appearances totaling 49 minutes. Carson is also a former Fox employee.
“As we did during the 2012 presidential cycle, Media Matters will publish regular updates on the amount of interview time Fox News gives each declared and potential Republican presidential candidate,” says a blog post on the left-leaning website, which is run by an ally of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. “The network provides candidates with an invaluable platform with which to raise their profiles and pitch themselves to Fox’s conservative audience.”
Media Matters notes that Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly, whose show airs at 9 p.m. ET, had the most interview time in May with all likely Republican presidential candidates. There are currently nine official GOP candidates but the field is expected to grow.
