Patrick Davis, a former National Republican Senatorial Committee political director-turned-GOP consultant, used to support Fred Thompson in his bid for president. Now he likes Mike Huckabee – a lot – as a straight-talker with a heart. Davis is not alone.Earlier this month, Huckabee, a former Arkansas governor, got a high-profile boost when actor Chuck Norris became a fan. (This week the Huckabee campaign unveiled its first TV commercial, an irreverent 60-second spot featuring the “Walker, Texas Ranger” star, with Huckabee highlighting several positions: “My plan to secure the borders? Two words: Chuck Norris.”)
Davis, who was the NRSC political director in 2003 and 2004, and the NRSC west region director for three years before that, now lives in Colorado Springs. He recently sent Huckabee a $1,000 contribution, and notes that he and Norris are not the only Republicans to have become enamored of Huckabee, whose speech also drew raves at a late-October “values voters” summit for social conservatives in Washington.
With only a little more than a month until the Iowa caucuses, Davis also notes a bit of recent history that is worth pondering. Mitt Romney, who has invested a great deal of money into winning Iowa, remains ahead in Iowa polls – but the far lesser-known Huckabee is up to second place.
“An awful lot can change in a month,” Davis points out. Four years ago, a month before the Iowa Democratic caucus, Howard Dean was dead set on winning – and John Kerry surged and won.
Fast forward four years. A month before the Republican caucus in Iowa, a new poll shows Romney at 27 percent and Huckabee in second, with 18 percent. And, here’s where it gets interesting: The Research 2000 poll shows that a full 15 percent of GOP voters in Iowa are still undecided.
And an astounding 50 percent said that between now and the Jan. 3 caucus, they could change their minds about who they support –
