Mike Huckabee May Be Planning an Iowa Encore

As the former governor considers a second bid for the presidency, he's hitting the campaign trail to make friends and raise his political profile.

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee speaks during the third day of the Republican National Convention at the Tampa Bay Times Forum on August 29, 2012 in Tampa, Florida.

Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images
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Mike Huckabee's pitch for Joni Ernst followed the script: Keep the focus on Iowa's Republican Senate candidate and fire up the crowd. But if you looked around the room, it might have been hard to tell exactly who was running for office, Huckabee or Ernst.

There in a Council Bluffs grocery's community room stood four veterans of Huckabee's political operation, some going back years. Chad Gallagher, executive director of Huckabee's political action committee, was in one corner, not far from Alice Stewart, his 2008 presidential campaign spokeswoman. Eric Woolson, Huckabee's former Iowa campaign manager, was across the room. And leaning against a wall in the community room's kitchenette was Chip Saltsman, the 2008 national campaign manager.