Rick Perry has a serious Florida problem, Mike Huckabee says.
“[Rick] Perry hurt himself a lot with his Social Security talk,” Huckabee told Laura Ingraham Monday. “What he said may be technically true, but you go to South Florida, or even any part of Florida…and essentially say that Social Security is a criminal enterprise, that’s problematic. And it did not help him with the Florida vote.”
Huckabee, who has not yet made an endorsement in the 2012 field, said Perry’s rhetoric problem may spread beyond the Florida electorate:
“Rick likes to come across as the straight-shooting, blunt talking guy. And that works very well in Texas and it will work very well in what I call the hardcore center of the Republican primary. But when you have to branch out and get to those younger voters and general election voters, I’m not sure how it’s going to play out.”
Back in the Sunshine State, Huckabee tells Ingraham that Michele Bachmann “has the conservative chops and has been consistent, but has not made statements like [Perry has about Social Security].”
“That may give her the ability to be the chief competitor with Romney for the Florida vote,” Huckabee said.
(H/T Taegan Goddard)
