Mike Huckabee ends tenure on Fox to mull 2016 presidential bid

WASHINGTON, Jan. 5 (UPI) -- Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee announced Saturday he was ending his show on Fox News channel to consider the possibility of a 2016 presidential run.

In a post on his Facebook page, Huckabee said he was ending his show, Huckabee, out of consideration for the network and so he could focus on gauging support for 2016. The former governor said he would not make an official decision until late spring of 2015.

Leaving the show gives him the opportunity to speak to donors openly and try to rally the super PACs. He is planning to test the waters in Iowa with events scheduled later this month in Des Moines and Cedar Rapids. In 2008, Huckabee had an early victory in Iowa, securing the caucuses.

Huckabee's bid for the White House was unsuccessful, he eventually lost the the Republican nomination to Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. He has preciously called himself a centrist but is a tea party favorite sue to his views on gay marriage, immigration and abortion.

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush was the first to officially announce that he was "exploring" the possibility of a run for president in 2016. Bush resigned from all the corporate boards of which he was a member, further solidifying his potential as a candidate for the next presidential election. In a poll, he came out on top of his Republican counterparts, including Huckabee, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, and Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wisc.