Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee has criticized a prospective rival for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, for using his family's connections to raise money for a likely White House run,
Buzzfeed reports.
Huckabee, who plans to announce on May 5 whether he is running for president, told Concord News Radio, a New Hampshire radio program, that he is "not going to pretend I have the money of a Jeb Bush or a Hillary Clinton, but you know what? I don't have to have that much money."
Huckabee emphasized that if he runs, his campaign will use its money "very frugally, very carefully and thoughtfully, we'll run the money of the campaign like people wish the federal government will run their money when they are taxed, with a real sense of good stewardship."
Despite these challenges, Huckabee predicted his campaign would "be competitive with money."
The former Arkansas governor, who ran unsuccessfully for president in 2008, sounded very much like he is planning another White House bid next year:
"There is no doubt in my mind, having met with donors across the country, having the process of fundraising under way, I'm convinced it's not going to be the same as it was eight years ago. Will I have the same amount that somebody like Bush would have? Probably not. I do not have the family Rolodex. But I also feel like I bring some ideas that are worth some value as well to the campaign."
Buzzfeed reports that Huckabee will compete with conservatives like Texas Sen. Ted Cruz for the support of socially conservative GOP voters. That analysis seems like a stretch, however, in the wake of reports like one in
Breitbart this week asserting that, like Bush, Huckabee has joined a group of outspoken Republican defenders of the controversial Common Core educational program.
The latest
Real Clear Politics average shows Bush leading with 16.8 percent of the Republican vote and Huckabee tied with Florida Sen. Marco Rubio for fifth place with 8.3 percent.
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