Keep an Eye on Huckabee

The Gallup poll shows that Hillary Clinton is the best-known and best-liked potential presidential candidate.  That is utterly unsurprising in light of her long record.  The more noteworthy poll finding involves a Republican:

Former Arkansas governor and current talk show host Mike Huckabee is arguably in a slightly better position image-wise among the national adult population than other potential Republican presidential candidates. His +12 net favorable rating edges out Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul's +9 for the highest among Republican candidates. Huckabee's 54% familiarity score trails those for New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (65%) and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (65%), but is above the 52% average for the 11 Republicans measured in the poll. Christie's and Bush's net favorable ratings are among the lowest.

As we discuss in After Hope and Change, Huckabee went into the 2012 election with high favorables and would have been a serious contender had he chosen to run.  Four years later, with more money in the bank (his need to build up personal assets played a part in his noncandidacy) and no obvious front-runner, he might decide to go for it.