Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee was to speak at the Republican National Convention this week, but no more.
Huckabee has sought the Republican presidential nomination twice, most recently placing 9th in Iowa before dropping out . He was to speak in Cleveland along with fellow Arkansans Tom Cotton, Asa Hutchinson, and Leslie Rutledge.
But his day job at Fox News gave him, and others in similar positions, an ultimatum. The national television network asked Huckabee to choose between being a paid on-air political contributor and actively campaigning for a partisan cause, in this case Donald Trump.
Huckabee told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette that Fox News is “more sensitive than they have been in the past about people accusing them of being in the tank for the team.” He also said after a year on the campaign trail, without much income, he simply can’t afford to take a suspension from Fox.
U.S. Senator Tom Cotton is expected to speak Monday night. Governor Asa Hutchinson and Attorney General Leslie Rutledge will speak on Tuesday evening.
KUAR is airing live coverage from 7-10 p.m. this week.