Background

Michael "Mike" Dale Huckabee was born on August 24, 1955, in Hope, Arkansas. He attended Hope High School and was a student council vice president in the 1971-72 school year, and later, he became the student body president in 1972-73. In 1972, Huckabee entered the ministry at Garrett Memorial Baptist Church. In 1974, Huckabee graduated from Ouachita Baptist University, earning a bachelor's degree in religion. He later attended the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. Still, he didn't complete his studies because he was offered a role in Christian broadcasting that he gladly accepted.

Marriage, Wife, and Children

In 1974, Huckabee got married to his school girlfriend, Janet. The couple has three children named David, John, and Sarah.

Career and Net Worth

Before starting his political career, Huckabee worked as a staffer for the televangelist James Robinson in 1976. From 1980 to 1986, he served as pastor at Immanuel Baptist Church in Pine Bluff. From 1986 to 1992, Huckabee was a pastor at the Beech Street First Baptist Church in Texarkana. Huckabee started a television station in which he hosted a program called "Positive Alternatives."

In 1989, Huckabee ran against Ronnie Floyd for the presidency of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention. He won and then served as president from 1989 to 1991. In 1992, Huckabee lost the race to the Democratic Senator, Dale Bumpers. In 1993, Huckabee ran a very conservative campaign. He won with 51% of votes against Nate Coulter, and he officially started his political career as Arkansas lieutenant governor.

The advisor of Huckabee during his races in 1993, 1994, and 1998 was Dick Morris, who had previously worked for Bill Clinton. They ran with the strategy of highlighting the values and principles of Huckabee, claiming they were the same as the people in Arkansas. In 1994, Huckabee was re-elected to a full term as lieutenant governor, beating the Democrat Charlie Cole Chaffin with 59% votes.

In 1996, after David Pryor announced he would retire from the Senate, Huckabee raced for Senator against Senator Tucker. Tucker almost went under impeachment because after getting accused of nearly $3 million in fraudulent loans, Huckabee covered the governor's role starting from July 15, before being formally elected in November 1998, after the victorious race against Colonel Gene McVay.