Norris endorses Huckabee

This is a WorldNetDaily printer-friendly version of the article which follows. To view this item online, visit http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=58369

Friday, October 26, 2007
ELECTION 2008Norris endorses, surge follows Huckabee sees spike in online donations after column
Posted: October 26, 20073:20 p.m. Eastern
© 2000 WorldNetDaily.com-->© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com
Chuck Norris
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, a GOP presidential candidate, is experiencing a surge in campaign cash just days after Chuck Norris wrote a column in WND endorsing him.
Huckabee, who has been among the "second tier" of GOP candidates behind leaders Rudy Giuliani, Fred Thompson, John McCain and Mitt Romney, also now has passed Romney in the Rasmussen Reports GOP tracking poll.
Huckabee's campaign website showed a surge of about $550,000 after the endorsement became public.
Meanwhile, Rasmussen reported Huckabee's move into the top four slots was the first time he's ever ranked that high.
"Rudy Giuliani remains precariously atop the pack with support from 20 percent of likely Republican primary voters nationwide," the survey report said. "Fred Thompson is close behind at 19 percent while John McCain enjoys a second straight day in third place with 14 percent of the vote. Huckabee continues to gain ground and is just two points behind McCain at 12 percent."
(Story continues below)
The report said, "This is the first time all year that Huckabee has surpassed Mitt Romney. The former Massachusetts governor slipped another point and he is now at just 11 percent nationally."
"Given Huckabee's progress in the polls, Rasmussen Reports will add his results to the daily tracking history table starting Monday," the report said.
Alice Stewart, a spokeswoman for Huckabee, told WND there was a significant surge in online donations after the Norris endorsement.
"I can't give you specific numbers," she told WND. "But the fundraiser hits have increased dramatically since Mr. Norris endorsed Gov. Huckabee."
The "fundraiser hits" are inquiries from individuals seeking to hold a fundraiser for the candidate, she said.
She said other boosts have come into the campaign following earlier milestones, such as participation in debates or new poll numbers.
Former Gov. Mike Huckabee
"It's going great! The good thing is the phones are ringing off the hook and we can't even answer them all. The bad news is the phones are ringing off the hook and we can't even answer them all," Stewart said.
The website campaign contribution total is about $750,000 now, with a goal of a little more than $1 million by the end of the month. The total had been about $200,000 before the Norris endorsement.
As WND reported Norris, in his exclusive column for WND, noted Huckabee's qualifications.
"Though Giuliani might be savvy enough to lead people, Fred Thompson wise enough to wade through the tides of politics, McCain tough enough to fight terrorism, and Romney business-minded enough to grow our economy, I believe the only one who has all of the characteristics to lead America forward into the future is ex-Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee," Chuck Norris wrote.
In September Huckabee took the top position in a straw poll conducted at the groundbreaking Values Voter Presidential Debate where candidates were asked their positions on abortion, terrorism, free speech, free exercise of religion and other significant issues.
In addition to Huckabee, Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas, former ambassador Alan Keyes, businessman John Cox and Reps. Ron Paul of Texas, Tom Tancredo of Colorado and Duncan Hunter of California all were in attendance. Missing were Giuliani, Thompson, Romney and McCain.
Janet Folger, president of the Faith2Action organization which worked on the debate, said Huckabee received 63 percent, more votes than all the other candidates combined. No-show candidates – the previous top four, according to national surveys – were included in the poll.
In an interview with WND, Huckabee said the fight with terror won't end in a draw, and the U.S. must continue its fight.
"There's no peaceful co-existence, there's no accommodation, there's no naïve nonsense that if we leave them alone they leave us alone. This is a war someone will win and someone will lose," he told WND in the one-on-one discussion.