Huckabee to announce 2016 plans during interview tonight

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee will appear tonight on Special Report, part of the Fox News Channel’s evening news lineup, to announce his plans for a presidential announcement. It’s not clear whether he will be announcing his candidacy, or simply announcing that he has decided to run and set a date for his formal announcement.

Report from the Washington Examiner:

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee is “moving toward” announcing his second bid for president Friday night, claiming that he will be better funded than in his 2008 run and that he stands out as the most-experienced of the nearly 20 candidates considering a bid.

“I think that there is a real challenge today in the dysfunctional environment of government as it is in Washington and clearly one of the reasons that I’m considering, contemplating and moving toward a decision,” he told a small group of reporters Friday morning.

Huckabee said he will announce his plans, either to run or when he will officially announce, on Fox where he had a TV show for years. He said he will reveal the news on “Special Report with Bret Baier,” the highly-acclaimed newshour.

“I’ll give you a little tip. If you will watch Bret Baier tonight there will be an indication on when an announcement will be forthcoming,” Huckabee teased, adding that he was asked by Fox to “come on and do it.”

Huckabee has held his top rating in several political polls and is expected to do well in the early states, including the Iowa caucus.

I’m thinking that a Friday evening cable newscast heading into a beautiful Spring weekend is not the best way to garner attention. However, I’m not paid to consult for any campaign and there’s probably a reason for that.

For eager viewers, Special Report with Bret Baier airs at 6pm ET on Fox News.

Update

Per the Daytona Beach News Journal, Huckabee will deliver his presidential plans with an announcement on May 5:

Inching closer to a second try for president, Republican Mike Huckabee said Friday he would announce his intentions next month in Hope, Ark., the hometown he shares with former President Bill Clinton.

“I think it will be worth tuning in for,” Huckabee, a former Arkansas governor and 2008 candidate, said in a brief Fox News interview. The event is scheduled for May 5.

Earlier, speaking to reporters in Washington, Huckabee signaled his likely candidacy, boasting of his continued support in early-voting Iowa and suggesting he was the best candidate to face the Democratic front-runner, Hillary Rodham Clinton.

To plan an event from your hometown indicates to me a presidential run is likely. Add to that the language about being the only one to take on the Clinton machine and you’ve pretty much got a campaign theme. All that said, he claims that he hasn’t yet made up his mind.