When Is Mike Huckabee Joining The 2016 Race?

The Republican Party's candidate field for 2016 is already a bit crowded with former Tea Party stars and current rabble-rousing Senators Marco Rubio, Rand Paul and Ted Cruz, but let's see if we can fit one more in. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee is expected to announce his 2016 presidential campaign on May 5 in the hometown he shares with potential Mr. First Man, Bill Clinton. This will be Huckabee's second presidential campaign run, having won the Iowa caucuses in 2008 yet ultimately losing the bid to Arizona Sen. John McCain.

In an interview with Fox News' Bret Baier on Friday, the former governor hinted that his presidential candidacy announcement is coming within the next three weeks, giving us some time to stir up the Mike Huckabee think-pieces. Huckabee told the Special Report host, "I will announce on May the 5th in my hometown of Hope, Arkansas, of what my plans are going to be."

"Come to Hope on May the 5th," Huckabee added. "You'll find out what's going to happen."

During a series of roundtable discussion with reporters earlier on Friday, the former governor provided a closer look at his campaign themes and strategies this time around, Real Clear Politics reported. "I don’t think I need to raise the same amount of funds as some of the other candidates, because I know how politics works," Huckabee told reporters. "We want to be efficient. I want to be as frugal as I wish the government would be."

Also on Friday, Huckabee's senior communications advisor, J. Hogan Gidley, tweeted about the former governor's upcoming news, sparking the speculation. According to Gidley, Huckabee traveled to New Hampshire — one of the prime stumping grounds for presidential nominees — for an early-morning Fox News interview and some good old-fashioned voter meet-and-greets.

Huckabee was considered a likely GOP presidential candidate after he resigned from his hosting duties at Fox News in early January. As he bid adieu to his fans and viewers at the time, Huckabee acknowledged in a Facebook post that "the continued (political) chatter has put Fox News in a position that just isn’t fair to them," alluding to his possible second presidential bid.

"The honorable thing to do at this point is to end my tenure here at Fox, so I can openly talk with potential donors and supporters and gauge support," he added.

Keeping in line with his fellow GOP candidates, all of whom have been taking full advantage of this little interactive thing we call, know and love as the Internet, Huckabee has updated his official website to include an announcement countdown. The simple homepage includes a "Be The First To Know" tagline, as well a pledge to donate to his campaign.

Images: Getty Images, screenshot/MikeHuckabee.com