Mike Huckabee to Be Honored With NRB Board of Directors Award

By Pete Butler, CP Contributor Saturday, March 02, 2013

Former Baptist preacher and Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee speaks to students at Liberty University about what it means to be like Jesus in Lynchburg, Va. on Monday, March 30, 2009. | (Photo: Liberty University/Jordan Crossingham)

Former Arkansas Governor turned top-rated Fox News host Mike Huckabee will be presented with the National Religious Broadcaster Board of Directors Award next week during this year's NRB Convention in Nashville.

"Gov. Huckabee has utilized the various platforms that God has given him to make a positive impact on society," said NRB President & CEO Dr. Frank Wright in a statement. "Furthermore, he has been intentional about shining the light of Christ in some of the darkest areas of society. I applaud him for his faithfulness and efforts."

Huckabee's rise to national prominence occurred when he campaigned to be the Republican presidential nominee in 2008. Initially dismissed as a long shot, Huckabee became the dark horse in the Republican race and finished second to Sen. John McCain (Arizona), beating out former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, whose campaign had significantly more money and staff than Huckabee.

Since then, Huckabee has established Huck Pac to help conservative Republicans running for public office get elected.

More recently, Huckabee made national headlines with his support of Chick-fil-A during the controversy surrounding Chick-fil-A President Dan Cathy and his voicing support for traditional marriage in an interview. Gay activists had called for a boycott Chick-fil-A because the owner was "anti-gay." But Huckabee in response launched a "Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day" and urged people to eat at Chick-fil-A restaurants to show their support, instead. Hundreds of thousands and maybe millions came out to support Chick-fil-A on that day, and media reports indicated that restaurants across the nation ran out of food and patrons were willing to stand in line winding around the block for 30-45 minutes to get a meal.

"It's gone beyond anything I could have imagined," Huckabee told Fox News last August regarding the Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day that he initiated. "Every one of [the stores] that I know have reported record, historic sales yesterday. ... A lot of the stores ran out of chicken before the end of the day."

Huckabee is the host of the No. 1 weekend show "Huckabee" on the Fox News Channel and Cumulus Media Networks' syndicated radio program, "The Mike Huckabee Show," heard on more than 174 stations. His daily "The Huckabee Report" is also syndicated on almost 600 stations.