Top Huckabee Aide Steps Back from Gay Marriage Support
Top Huckabee Aide Steps Back from Gay Marriage Support
2 minute read
Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee speaks to guests gathered at the Point of Grace Church for the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition 2015 Spring Kickoff in Waukee, Iowa on April 25, 2015.Scott Olson—Getty Images
Bob Wickers, the veteran GOP pollster and strategist and the top consultant to Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee’s presidential campaign, has stepped back from an outspoken role in support of same-sex marriage as he prepares to lead the evangelical icon’s presidential campaign.
Wickers, who worked on Huckabee’s 2008 and Mitt Romney’s 2012 campaigns, signed onto a 2013 friend of the court brief encouraging the Supreme Court to overturn California’s same-sex marriage ban. But his name was absent two years later when a larger group of top GOP operatives signed an amicus brief encouraging the Supreme Court to extend same-sex marriages nationwide.
Asked about his seeming walk-back at a dinner that the presumptive Huckabee campaign organized for reporters who traveled to Arkansas, Wickers declined to offer an on-the-record explanation. But his shift mirrors that of David Kochel, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush’s campaign-designate, who signed the 2013 brief but dropped off the 2015 list.
Huckabee, who has discussed ways to circumvent the Supreme Court’s expected decision, is an outspoken opponent of same-sex marriages.
While campaign staffers frequently differ from their bosses on a range of positions, the divide on same-sex marriage highlights a challenge within the Republican Party, which is struggling to balance rapidly shifting demographics and public opinion with an ever-more-ardent conservative base.
See the 2016 Candidates Looking Very Presidential
Sen. Ted Cruz is surrounded by stars and stripes at the 2014 Values Voter Summit in Washington, D.C. on September 26, 2014. Mark Peterson—ReduxHillary Clinton Hillary Clinton gazes pensively into the distance at Iowa Senator Tom Harken'a annual Steak Fry in Indianola, Iowa on September 14, 2014.Brooks Kraft—Corbis for TIMEJeb Bush Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush flashes a power watch before giving his keynote address at the National Summit on Education Reform in Washington on Nov. 20, 2014. Susan Walsh—APBernie Sanders waves to supporters after officially announcing his candidacy for the U.S. presidency during an event at Waterfront Park in Burlington, Vermont, on May 26, 2015.Win McNamee—Getty ImagesChris Christie New Jersey Governor Chris Christie strikes a presidential power stance at the ceremony for the opening of the 206 bypass in Hillsborough, New Jersey on October 28, 2013.Mark Peterson—ReduxFormer Hewlett-Packard Co Chief Executive Officer Carly Fiorina listens to her introduction from the side of the stage at the Freedom Summit in Des Moines, Iowa on Jan. 24, 2015. Jim Young—ReutersRand Paul Sen. Rand Paul works a crowd during a campaign stop on October 24, 2014 in McDonough, Georgia. Jessica McGowan—Getty ImagesRick Perry Texas Gov. Rick Perry looks powerfully patriotic during the National Anthem before an NCAA college football game on Nov. 27, 2014, in College Station, Texas.David J. Phillip—APBobby Jindal Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal looks to the future during The Family Leadership Summit on Aug. 9, 2014, in Ames, Iowa. Charlie Neibergall—APMartin O'Malley Maryland Governor Martin OíMalley ponders decorating ideas in front of his possible future home on CBS's Face the Nation on Feb. 23, 2014. Chris Usher—APMarco Rubio Sen. Marco Rubio looks determined the morning after the State of the Union address in Washington, D.C. on January 29, 2014.Melissa Golden—ReduxBen CarsonBen Carson at the Conservative Political Action Committee annual conference on March 8, 2014. Susan Walsh—APJim Webb Retiring Sen. Jim Webb imitates the presidential wave during a rally in Virginia Beach, Va. on Sept. 27, 2012.Steve Helber—APJohn Kasich Ohio Gov. John Kasich practices his presidential victory pose at the Ohio Republican Party celebration on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2014, in Columbus, Ohio. Tony Dejak—APRick Santorum Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum looks resolute at CPAC, the Conservative Political Action Conference on March 7, 2014. Brooks Kraft—CorbisScott Walker Wisconsin Republican Gov. Scott Walker practices the presidential point on March 3, 2014 in Milwaukee. Jeffrey Phelps—APMike Huckabee Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee fine-tunes his presidential oratory at the Conservative Political Action Committee annual conference in National Harbor, Md. on March 7, 2014. Susan Walsh—APLincoln Chafee, Former Rhode Island Governor, poses for a selfie with a student after announcing he will seek the Democratic nomination for president in Arlington, Va. on June 3, 2015. Jonathan Ernst—ReutersLindsey Graham Lindsey Graham announced his plans to join the 2016 presidential race.Alex Wong—Getty ImagesGeorge Pataki Former New York governor George Pataki listens to a question at the First in the Nation Republican Leadership Conference in Nashua, New Hampshire, in this April 17, 2015 file photo.Brian Snyder—Reuters
