Another day another big-name endorsement from the Christian right. This time it’s Mike Huckabee winning plaudits from Don Wildmon, head of the American Family Association.
Wildmon, a seasoned culture warrior and radio broadcaster from Tupelo, Mississippi, announced he is backing Huckabee because the former Arkansas governor and Baptist preacher “has the leadership and the vision, and I think he can take the country to that place where we need to be desperately at this point in our history.” You can read Wildmon’s statement here.
Huckabee’s response:

I’m proud to receive the support from such an influential member of the religious community. Rev. Wildmon and I share the same values on faith and family, which are key issues for the Republican Party.

Coming on the heels of big-splash announcements matching Christian broadcaster Pat Robertson with Rudy Giuliani, conservative Sen. Sam Brownback with John McCain, and Moral Majority co-founder Paul Weyrich with Mitt Romney, Wildmon’s endorsement keeps Huckabee in the chase for the elusive allegiance of religious conservatives—a key GOP constituency.
While some are calling it a sign of disarray and fracture within the evangelical movement’s political apparatus, the endorsement free-for-all of the past two days underscores what God-o-Meter has been saying all along of American evangelicals: they are not a monolith. They are more diverse and independent-minded than they are often portrayed, both by the media and by some self-styled leaders who aspire to command them. This week’s events are Exhibit A.

9