Huckabee Ahead in Southern States: Poll

A new poll shows that former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee is the favored GOP presidential contender by voters in Southern states, the Charlotte Observer reported Wednesday.

Pollsters found Huckabee had the support of 21.9 percent of Republican voters, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich had 12.9 percent, and former Govs. Sarah Palin and Mitt Romney trailed with 8.7 percent and 6.9 percent respectively. The poll was conducted by Winthrop University and had a 5.3 percent margin error.

"Huckabee knew in 2008 that a good part of his base was in the South as a region, and these results show that he still has a significant base in this area," poll director Scott Huffmon, a Winthrop political scientist, told the newspaper.

Huckabee won five Southern primaries in his 2008 presidential run, and narrowly lost the South Carolina primary to John McCain, the eventual GOP presidential candidate.

Hogan Gidley, executive director of Huckabee’s political action committee, told the newspaper that it’s becoming harder for former governor to ignore the various polls showing he has this much support.