Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee appears ready to announce his plans for the presidential race in 2016.
In a tweet Saturday afternoon, Huckabee previewed a forthcoming announcement on his show later in the evening on Fox News: “Don’t miss my show tonight on Fox; You can watch tonight or read about it in the papers tomorrow.”
Huckabee’s show is scheduled for 8 p.m. EST.
Asked about his tweet, a Huckabee aide told The Daily Caller: “All I can say right now is that you certainly want to watch.”
If Huckabee is serious about running for president, it’s expected that he would give up his weekend show on Fox. Previously, Huckabee used his Fox News show to announce that he would not run for president in 2012.
The former Republican governor didn’t immediately return an email seeking comment from TheDC on Saturday.
Huckabee, who won the 2008 Republican caucuses in Iowa, has acknowledged in recent months that he has been open to running for the White House in 2016. But many Republicans have been skeptical that he would actually pull the trigger on a run–giving up his lucrative career as a television and radio host to do so.
“I would certainly be in a different place than I was eight years ago,” Huckabee told reporters in September, referencing his financial situation. “I mean, eight years ago, my wife and I cashed in life insurance, mortgaged the house, depleted our savings. It was tough.”
Huckabee, in September, also previewed a likely forthcoming argument that he is well equipped to run against Hillary Clinton, if Democrats nominate her for president.
“Probably nobody in the Republican field right now maybe has a longer history or knows her any better than I do. I think she’d be a very formidable candidate,” he said. “While I think she’s very seriously doing everything possible to move to the point of being a candidate, I’m not absolutely convinced that she jumps in the water.”
UPDATE: Huckabee released the following statement before his show Saturday night.
Gov. Huckabee Departs Fox News, Will Make Decision On ’16 Campaign By Late Spring
Huckabee: “As much as I have loved doing the show, I cannot bring myself to rule out another Presidential run.”Little Rock – Governor Mike Huckabee will announce tonight on his Fox News show that he is leaving the network after six-and-a-half years as the host of “Huckabee.” To close out his final show, Gov. Huckabee said:“Tonight I will do more than just say goodnight. I will say goodbye. This is the last edition of ‘Huckabee’ on the Fox News Channel. It’s been the ride of a lifetime, and I have never had so much fun in my life. But I also realize that God hasn’t put me on earth just to have a good time or to make a good living, but rather has put me on earth to try to make a good life.
“There has been a great deal of speculation as to whether I would run for President. If I were willing to absolutely rule that out, I could keep doing this show. But I can’t make such a declaration. I won’t make a decision about running until late in the spring of 2015, but the continued chatter has put Fox News into a position that is not fair to them nor is it possible for me to openly determine political and financial support to justify a race. The honorable thing to do at this point is to end my tenure here at Fox. As much as I have loved doing the show, I cannot bring myself to rule out another Presidential run. So as we say in television, stay tuned!”