David Huckabee’s mugshot. (Handout)
Remember, when presidential candidate Mike Huckabee starts telling you about faith, values and how we shouldn’t listen to Beyonce, his son was once fired from a job for hanging a stray dog.
His child is 34-year-old mortgage broker David Huckabee. It’s likely his son will play a large role in his father’s campaign, similar to the one he played during the former Arkansas governor’s 2008 campaign. On May 5, Mike Huckabee announced his run for the White House in 2016.
Here’s what you need to know about David:
1. He Lost His Job as a Camp Counsellor in 1998 When He Hanged a Dog
The last time Mike Huckabee ran for president allegations emerged that David Huckabee had been fired from his job as a camp counsellor for controversial reasons, reported Newsweek.
When David Huckabee was 17, he was found to have hanged and stoned a stray dog at a summer camp where he worked. Animal rights groups tried to investigate the incident in 2007. He claimed that he euthanized the dog but that doesn’t explain why he was fired from his job for breaking the camp’s mantra of being “kind,” reports the Florida Times-Union. The paper also reports that David Huckabee was kicked out of private school for his offense.
According to Newsweek, groups found that local authorities were denying access to information. Newsweek quotes Arkansas police chief John Bailey saying that Governor Huckabee fired him in 1998 with the candidate saying “I’ve lost confidence in your ability to do your job. I couldn’t get you to help me with my son when I had that problem.”
The Huckabee campaign denied Bailey’s accusations but said that David Huckabee regretted “the incident.”
2. He Was Found Guilty of Carrying a Loaded Gun on to a Plane in 2007
David Huckabee was arrested at Clinton Airport in 2007 with a loaded glock. (Wikipedia)
Back in April 2007, David Huckabee pleaded guilty to bringing a loaded gun into a prohibited place. His gun was legally registered and the investigating lieutenant at Little Rock (Clinton) Airport said “It is not unusual for people to forget they have a gun in their carry-on luggage.” The governor’s son was sentenced to 10 days community service.
3. He Once Said ‘My Dream Is to Either Be the President or Be the One Who Makes the President the President’
While he was a student at Arkansas State University, David Huckabee told the college paper “My dream is to either be the president or be the one who makes the president the president.” He stressed at the time that he chose to stay in Arkansas for his schooling so he could get more familiar with the state’s politics. While he was a political science student there, David Huckabee was elected homecoming king in 2001. During his father’s 2008 presidential campaign, David Huckabee was on the payroll.
4. He Paid a Government Registration Fee in Pennies
According to his LinkedIn page, David Huckabee is the CEO of Blue Diamond Media. A keen businessman since his college days, during which time he was asked to officially register his two companies, Pyro Erectus and H&K Enterprises, with the City of Jonesboro. The fee required was $62.50. He resisted, saying his businesses were “partnerships,” according to the Herald of Arkansas. David Huckabee responded by paying the fee in 6,250 pennies.
5. His Wife Handles Mike Huckabee’s Schedule
(Getty)
In a 2012 Politico report, it said that David Huckabee’s wife, Lauren, was in charge of running Governor Mike Huckabee’s schedule and his endorsements. Lauren, a lawyer, was fundraising for Huckabee’s PAC to raise money for conservative congressional candidates. According to her Facebook page, her and David Huckabee are married with two young children.
