Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, whose campaign capitalized on retail politics and won the Iowa Caucus in 2008, said Monday in Ames he plans the same style less than one month out from the first votes being cast in 2016.
Speaking at Oakwood Road Church Monday morning, Huckabee met with supporters, shook every hand in the room, took pictures and answered questions after talking briefly about what to expect in the coming weeks.
Huckabee said his campaign will hit its goal of visiting all 99 counties in Iowa, the "Full Grassley," named after longtime Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley, after he wraps up his latest tour of the state this week with 25 stops over the next six days.
He also announced a month-long final push of campaigning in Iowa, saying he will hold 150 different events around the state before the Feb. 1 caucus.
Huckabee joked, telling the audience they should only turn out to caucus on Feb. 1 if they plan on voting for Huckabee, because the weather will not be pleasant and it will be cold.
"Folks, we need someone who knows how to actually govern," Huckabee told supporters before taking questions. "I can make a speech, but we need someone who can actually lead."
He also went after what he calls "filthy" corruption in Washington, saying the government should enact term limits and ban members of Congress from becoming lobbyists after leaving office.
Without mentioning any specific names, Huckabee said anyone running for president should resign any current office they hold. The comment comes after criticism of Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who has missed numerous votes in the U.S. Senate to campaign for president. Along with Rubio, Govs. Chris Christie and John Kasich and Sens. Rand Paul and Ted Cruz, are also running for president while in office.
After a quick speech, Huckabee took questions and was asked about his plan to enact the "fair tax," which would repeal taxes on income and replace it with a national consumption tax, similar to state sales taxes. He said it makes more sense to tax consumption rather than productivity.