By Brandon Moseley
Alabama Political Reporter
On Thursday, October 1, former Arkansas Governor, author, and current Republican Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee (R) will tour the state of Alabama.
The Alabama Secretary of State’s office announced that Gov. Huckabee will begin his tour with a public appearance in Florence at 8 a.m. Huckabee will hold two private fundraisers in Sylacauga and Selma later that day. At 6 p.m. Gov. Huckabee will hold a public appearance in Dothan. The exact times, details and locations will be released closer to the events.
Secretary of State John Merrill said in a statement, “As Secretary of State, I will continue to position Alabama and the South as a place where Presidential candidates are willing to make an effort to visit and meet our outstanding citizens. When this many Presidential candidates are choosing to visit Alabama, it is proof the SEC Primary is working. The SEC Primary greatly increases the importance of southeastern states to candidates, and I am proud to see our state receiving the attention it deserves. It is so important that Alabamians have the opportunity to interact with all candidates in order to learn who best reflects their views.”
On Monday, Governor Huckabee said that President Barack H. Obama’s choice decision to nominate Eric K. Fanning to be the Secretary of the U.S. Army was only to appease “America’s homosexuals.” Gov. Huckabee said in a statement, “It’s clear President Obama is more interested in appeasing America’s homosexuals than honoring America’s heroes.” “Veterans suicide is out-of-control and military readiness is dangerously low, yet Obama is so obsessed with pandering to liberal interest groups he’s nominated an openly gay civilian to run the Army. Homosexuality is not a job qualification. The U.S. military is designed to keep Americans safe and complete combat missions, not conduct social experiments.” Fanning has been a defense and national security analyst in Washington at the Pentagon and to the Congress for almost 20 years.
Secretary Merrill made the announcement in Moody on Thursday while speaking to the St. Clair County Republican Party. Merrill said that former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee will be here on October 1 and other candidates will follow. Donald Trump, John Kasich, Scott Walker, Ben Carson, Jeb Bush, and Ted Cruz visited the state in August.
Sec. Merrill said that Democratic Presidential candidates have been contacted for possible campaign stops in Alabama, but as of this moment no visits have been set. Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders (I) visited with leftist activists in Birmingham in July.
