Huckabee Endorses Missouri Conservative for U.S. Congress Run

Former Arkansas governor and one-time Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee has endorsed Ballwin's Ann Wagner in the Republican primary for Missouri's 2nd Congressional District, Wagner’s campaign announced Tuesday.

Wagner faces Ed Martin in the GOP primary race to replace U.S. Rep. Todd Akin in Congress.

The endorsement adds another prominent conservative name to Wagner’s list of backers, which to date includes former U.S. Attorney General and Missouri office-holder John Ashcroft, as well as New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.

Huckabee’s letter of endorsement targeted a conservative base, citing Wagner’s support for gun owners, opposition to gay marriage and anti-abortion policies among the reasons for his endorsement.

“Ann Wagner is a strong supporter of the conservative social issues that are important to us like the sanctity of life, and the preservation of marriage between one man and one woman,” Huckabee wrote. “Ann is against all of the bailouts and the government picking winners and losers. She believes the government needs to stop interfering, and that’s why she supports the FairTax, and strongly believes in the 2nd Amendment.”

Wagner said Huckabee is likely to visit the 2nd Congressional District “for a future grassroots campaign event.”