Odds even on 2016 Huckabee candidacy

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R) says there’s a 50 percent chance he will run for president in 2016.

{mosads}The 2008 GOP presidential contender told “Fox News Sunday” host Chris Wallace, “at this point it’s 50/50” that he would pursue a presidential bid.

Huckabee, who recently announced his intention to leave his nationally syndicated radio program, opted not to run for the White House in 2012.

The folksy politician explained he “would never make this decision based on circumstances. It would be a decision of the heart.”

“I’ve tried to be honest … so when people ask me, are you open to the possibility? The honest answer is ‘yes.’ Does that mean I’m running? I don’t honestly know,” Huckabee said.

Huckabee rose to national prominence in the conservative movement through his Fox News and talk radio shows.

Though he won the Iowa caucuses in 2008, he struggled to raise money. Huckabee told The New York Times earlier this month he’d make sure to secure the necessary support if he runs again.

“If I talk to people, and they say, ‘If you run, we’re in and we’re in a big way,’ that’s going be helpful,” he said. “If I don’t hear that, you know what? This will be a real easy decision for me to make because I’ve jumped in a pool without water before, and it’s a hard hit at the bottom.”