Former presidential candidate turned conservative commentator Mike Huckabee says he harbors no grudge toward Mitt Romney for the often contentious campaign the two waged against each other in 2008.
In an interview with Andrew Goldman of the New York Times published Friday, Huckabee dismissed the notion that Romney is still a rival, saying that the former Massachusetts governor is clearly his preferred choice over President Barack Obama.
“Four years ago, Mitt Romney was my opponent, and he was saying some brutal things about me, and he and I were both vying for the same position,” Huckabee said. “But I’m looking ahead now, and my question is real simple: which person, Barack Obama or Mitt Romney, would be a better president? It’s not hard for me to be enthusiastically supportive of Mitt Romney.”
In his 2009 book, “Do The Right Thing,” Huckabee took a notable swipe at Romney for failing to make a congratulatory phone call following Huckabee’s victory in the 2008 Iowa Caucus. Huckabee turned coy when Goldman highlighted a quote from 2008, when the former Arkansas governor said that voters want a candidate who “reminds them of the guy they work with rather than the guy who laid them off” — seemingly a thinly veiled shot at Romney.
“I will let everybody draw their own conclusions,” Huckabee said.
