Pounded already...

Anti-Tax Group Wastes No Time Targeting Mike Huckabee

By Maggie Haberman

Mike Huckabee’s longtime nemesis, the anti-tax group Club for Growth, is bringing the welcome wagon for his entry into the 2016 Republican presidential primary — with a $100,000 ad buy denouncing his record.

The ad will begin running Wednesday, a spokesman for the group said, in markets in Iowa and South Carolina, two early caucus and primary states where Mr. Huckabee, a former Arkansas governor, could be competitive.

The 60-second spot begins with a narrator asking, “Why do conservatives oppose Mike Huckabee?” It then features clips of interviews that Mr. Huckabee did with Sunday news program hosts, including Chris Wallace of Fox, George Stephanopoulos of ABC and Tim Russert of NBC, all of whom asked about tax increases while Mr. Huckabee was governor. The clips are from the final days before voting began in the 2008 primary season.

“Ready for … Huckabee?” the narrator asks at the end of the spot, with Mr. Huckabee’s name splashed over Hillary Rodham Clinton’s, in a reference to Ready for Hillary, the group that had supported her over the past two years.

In 2008, the Club for Growth was vociferous in its criticism of Mr. Huckabee, describing him as a “liberal” in the Republican primary, based on his tax record. He bit back years later, accusing Club for Growth officials of trying to shake people down for donations to earn their support.

Aides to Mr. Huckabee did not respond to an email request for comment Monday evening.

On Tuesday morning, Mr. Huckabee will kick off his second run for president in Arkansas.