Mike Huckabee, born August 24, 1955, in Hope, Arkansas, is an American politician, author, and former Baptist pastor who began his career in broadcasting, advertising, and ministry, serving as the youngest president of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention in 1989.[1][3][4][5] Elected lieutenant governor in 1993, he became Arkansas's 44th governor in 1996 following Jim Guy Tucker's resignation, winning full terms in 1998 and 2002 to serve until 2007 due to term limits.[1][2][3][5] As governor, Huckabee implemented major reforms, including the ARKids First program expanding health insurance to thousands of children, welfare reductions by nearly 50%, the first broad-based tax cuts in state history, a Property Taxpayers' Bill of Rights, and highway modernization via a 1999 bond issue.[1][2][3][5] He advanced education through Smart Start and Smart Step initiatives boosting math and reading scores, charter school expansion, and college scholarships; environmentally, Amendment 75 funded state parks.[2][5] Nationally recognized, he was named one of Time's top five governors and Governing's Public Officials of the Year in 2005, and lost over 110 pounds after a 2004 diabetes diagnosis, launching the Healthy Arkansas campaign.[3][4][6] A two-time Republican presidential candidate in 2008 and 2016, Huckabee is a bestselling author of books like *Quit Digging Your Grave with a Knife and Fork* (2005) and a former Fox News host, currently hosting *Huckabee* on TBN.[1][3][4] A staunch Israel advocate with over 100 visits, he supported the U.S. Embassy move to Jerusalem and Abraham Accords.[1] In 2024, President-elect Donald Trump nominated him U.S. Ambassador to Israel, confirmed by the Senate on April 9, 2025, making him a key figure in strengthening U.S.-Israel ties amid ongoing regional tensions.[1][3][7][9]