(USA TODAY) -- Mike Huckabee launched his second run for the Republican presidential nomination by promising to take the nation "from hope to higher ground'' and emphasizing his ability to work with Democrats while he was governor of Arkansas.
"I learned how to govern and I learned how to lead,'' he said Tuesday at his announcement in Hope, Ark., the hometown he shares with former president Bill Clinton.
Huckabee's wide-ranging speech included a call to replace all federal taxes with a sales tax, criticism of trade pacts that he said would undermine U.S. workers' wages and a defense of Social Security, saying that Congress "end their own pensions'' rather than changing the national retirement system.
"Power and money and political influence have left a lot of Americans lagging behind,'' he said.
In 2008, Huckabee surprised the GOP establishment with his victory in the Iowa caucuses. The former Arkansas governor eventually won eight states, mostly in the South, but he didn't have the resources to topple eventual nominee John McCain.
This time, Huckabee vows he'll be competitive.
"I'll have a lot more money to start with than I probably had well into the campaign eight years ago," Huckabee told Fox News in mid-April. "I'm confident that we are going to have the money to compete."
Huckabee, 59, is sixth in the RealClearPolitics polling average of 2016 GOP presidential candidates, many of whom have yet to formally declare their intentions. But he's got better favorable ratings in national and statewide surveys than Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio and Scott Walker, and he is also well-positioned with blue-collar voters, senior citizens and conservatives as well as the evangelical voters who helped fuel his 2008 Iowa victory.
Religious conservatives could have several candidates to choose from in 2016 besides Huckabee, such as Walker, Ted Cruz, Bobby Jindal and Rick Santorum, who won the 2012 Iowa caucuses.
Bob Vander Plaats of The Family Leader, an influential conservative group, and Huckabee's 2008 Iowa campaign chairman, said the former Arkansas governor should not be dismissed.
"Huckabee has a great chance to repeat what he did in 2008, but his campaign will have to be different," Vander Plaats said. "When people know you and you're an established figure, you have to have campaign apparatus and money."
In his Fox News interview with Bret Baier, Huckabee did not declare Iowa as a must-win but said he'll need to set a tone in the early nominating contests.
"I don't think it is all based on one state. But clearly coming out of Iowa with momentum is important," he said. "We need to do well in South Carolina. We need to show that we at least are competing in New Hampshire."
As governor of Arkansas from 1996 to 2007, Huckabee was a foil to the Clinton administration. He has said it is "fair play" to judge Hillary Clinton for her record as a senator and secretary of State, and not by Bill Clinton's personal life.
After the 2008 presidential campaign, Huckabee turned to broadcasting full-time and became well-known to conservatives through his own Fox News show. He has been a popular draw as a speaker and book author.
In 2012, Huckabee flirted with the idea of running again but ultimately decided against it. He quit his Fox News show in January to consider the 2016 race.
Huckabee's latest book — God, Guns, Grits and Gravy — delves into the impact of Washington, New York and Los Angeles on culture, which he dubs "Bubble-ville." With his chatty, folksy style, Huckabee offers his view on the effect government has on people's lives, the dangers of social media, and his take on immigration, China and other issues.
During the campaign, Huckabee can expect questions about raising taxes as Arkansas governor. The anti-tax Club for Growth, which ran ads against him in the 2008 campaign, said Huckabee's "big government record" would stand out negatively in the 2016 field.
The former governor, who now lives in Florida, counters that he balanced the state budget every year for 10 years, cut welfare and raised average family income by 50%.
After his announcement in Arkansas, Huckabee will campaign Wednesday and Thursday in Iowa on a "Factories, Farms and Freedom" tour. He then heads to South Carolina for a speech Friday on economic opportunity in Greenville.
