Mike Huckabee, the former Arkansas governor, is ending his weekend program on Fox News — effective immediately — as he contemplates another run for president.
“I won’t make a decision about running until late in the spring of 2015, but the continued chatter has put Fox News into a position that is not fair to them,” Huckabee wrote in a letter to supporters Saturday evening.
“The honorable thing to do at this point is to end my tenure here at Fox so I can openly talk with potential donors and supporters and gauge support,” he added.
Huckabee’s letter said he’d “say goodbye” on his program, titled “Huckabee,” on Saturday night.
Fox News got a jump on the news by reporting the announcement on its 6 p.m. newscast, shortly after Huckabee taped his sign-off.
On Saturday afternoon Huckabee had urged his followers on Facebook and Twitter to tune in for an announcement “that will make news for sure.”
In his subsequent letter, he wrote, “As much as I have loved doing the show, I love my country more, and feel that it may be time for me to enter a zone of comfort to engage in the conflicts that have almost destroyed the bedrock foundations of America.”
“I feel compelled to ascertain if the support exists strongly enough for another Presidential run. So as we say in television, stay tuned!”
A spokeswoman for Huckabee reaffirmed that he would make a decision about a run by “late spring.”
But by quitting the program now, Huckabee avoids further questions about the conflict between his television perch and a tantalizing bid for the presidency.
Those questions arose two months ago after The Washington Post reported that Huckabee was rebuilding a political team.
It has been no secret that Huckabee has been pondering another run for president. He has been holding meetings with GOP donors and recruiting staffers for a potential campaign.
But he has been “very careful about this” — his words, in an interview with The Washington Post, in November — because of the potential conflict between his television show and a campaign.
Huckabee mounted an unsuccessful run for the Republican nomination in 2008. Later that year, he started to host the show.
Amid speculation about a possible run in 2012, he teased an announcement in May 2011 but ended up telling viewers that he’d opted against a bid: “All the factors say ‘go’ but my heart says ‘no.'”
Political prognosticators have said that a Huckabee run is more likely this time around.
After The Post story in November, a Fox News executive said the network was “taking a serious look” at his political activity and “evaluating his current status.”
In the past, Fox has terminated the contracts of employees who take clear steps toward political candidacies, by forming an exploratory committee, for instance. In early November it severed Ben Carson’s contributor contract.
Fox said nothing further about Huckabee’s status until Saturday, when a network spokesperson confirmed that it had “amicably parted ways with Huckabee.”
He is expected to elaborate on his decision during his 8 p.m. program.
On Facebook, Huckabee wrote of his announcement, “I hope you watch and encourage your friends to do the same.”
The most-liked comment underneath his post was from a female fan who wrote, “I hope you’re saying you’re going to run for president!”