Huckabee Tells Stories During Last Hours of Iowa Campaign

It’s the last push here in Iowa today, and candidates are darting around the state and shaking hands in the final hour.

Mike Huckabee spoke at a veterans’ center in Grinnell this afternoon. The room was not as packed as some of the events of the Democratic candidates have been, but predictably, it was deluged with press.

“They say there are 2,500 media representatives here,” Huckabee said, of Iowa. “Looking around [this room] I think most of them are here today.” After a folksy introduction from his wife, who referenced the “southern hospitality” of the Iowans they’ve met, Huckabee riffed on his views on abortion and family values, as well the importance of the middle class. “The economic engine of this country is still small business,” he said.

The man is a joker, and he loves tangents. He told a lengthy story about a cake his oldest son made for him many years ago, which Huckabee claimed was the worst cake he’d ever tasted.

“My first thought was…my son is trying to kill me!” he cracked. His son had not understood the meaning of a "dash of salt," and had figured "a cup would be enough," Huckabee said. The story turned out to be an allegory. “His intentions were good, the problem was, he made up his own definition of what a dash was, and the result was a disaster,” Huckabee explained, asserting that good intentions must be coupled with understanding.

"It’s kind of almost frightening,” Huckabee said, “but six hours from now, the doors open.”

Caucusing will begin tonight at 6 p.m. CST.