Mike Huckabee Announces 2016 Presidential Run
Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee announced on Tuesday that he will be entering the 2016 presidential race.
Huckabee made his announcement Tuesday morning at Hempstead Hall, located in his hometown of Hope, Arkansas.
The former governor and Fox News host focused his speech on his Arkansas upbringing, as well as his plans for the U.S. if he were to become president.
Huckabee told the crowd at Hempstead Hall that growing up, he "learned the difference between right and wrong. And I learned that God loves me as much as he loves anyone, but that he doesn't love some more than others."
"I was raised to believe that where a person started doesn't mean that's where he has to stop," he said. "I always believed that a kid could go from Hope to higher ground."
"I truly am from Hope to higher ground," Huckabee continued to the crowd, adding: "So it seems perfectly fitting that it would be here that I announce that I am a candidate for president of the United States of America."
The former politician discussed what he would do differently than President Barack Obama if he should be elected president.
Huckabee told the crowd that if he were to become president, "hell will freeze over" before Iran would develop a nuclear weapon.
The former governor also took a more aggressive approach to defeating the Islamic State terrorist group, saying "We will deal with jihadis just like we deal with deadly snakes."
