Mike Huckabee seeks support in Texas

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee said he hopes Texans will be behind him if he makes another White House run.

After all, he has never forgotten the years he and his family lived in Fort Worth when he studied at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

“I’ve got a lot of friends in Fort Worth and some great memories,” he said. “When my wife and I came here, we were so stinking poor. We looked forward to 25-cent taco day. There was a taco place on Seminary Drive we would eat at. That was our splurge.”

He said that his favorite restaurant in America remains Joe T. Garcia’s and that he has several pairs of boots from M.L. Leddy’s, including the ones he wore Wednesday.

Not only that, but his son was born in Fort Worth as well.

“It was good times,” Huckabee said of his years in Texas, including 1976-77, when he studied at the seminary. “The memories are strong and fond.”

Huckabee’s comments came Wednesday after he spoke about his new book — God, Guns, Grits and Gravy — during a luncheon at the Hyatt Regency hotel put on by the Dallas Rotary Club and the National Center for Policy Analysis.

Huckabee drew attention over the weekend for saying that being gay is like drinking alcohol or using profanity — a lifestyle choice. And while those choices appeal to some, he said, they don’t to him.

Huckabee recently left his job at Fox News and said he wanted to raise $25 million to gauge interest in another presidential bid. He said Wednesday that he hopes to decide by spring.

When asked whether he’s in the 2016 race, he said it’s more than likely.

“I’ve not made a secret of the fact that leaving my show on the Fox News Channel was not just to spend Saturdays at home,” he said. “So clearly that’s the direction things are going.

“Barring some interesting circumstance, probably that’s where all of this is headed.”

During his speech, Huckabee noted that many people have the talent and skills to become president.

And afterward, he noted that several potential Republican candidates have strong Texas ties, particularly former Gov. Rick Perry and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz.

“They are both good, solid people,” Huckabee said with a grin. “So that’s why I hope that both of them drop out.”

This story was originally published February 4, 2015 at 6:41 PM with the headline "Mike Huckabee seeks support in Texas."