Michael Dale "Mike" Huckabee (born August 24, 1955), is an American politician an a member of the Republican Party. He was the governor of the U.S. state of Arkansas from 1996 to 2007 and was a Republican candidate in the 2008 United States presidential primaries; he announced his candidacy on January 28, 2007. Following losses to John McCain in the Texas, Ohio, Vermont, and Rhode Island primaries, he ended his campaign on March 4, 2008.