Huckabee Rebuts Romney, Talks Taxes

Dec. 2, 2007 — -- Former Gov. Mike Huckabee, R-Ark., told ABC News' "This Week" his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination as being "on a steady, slow, but upward trajectory, and things are looking good for us."

Things are indeed looking good, in Iowa at least, where Huckabee leads in-state rival and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, 29 percent to 24 percent, according to a Des Moines Register poll released Saturday evening.

Huckabee has come under attack from Romney in Iowa over the past several weeks, especially on the issue of immigration. Romney sent a mailer out to Iowa voters late last week claiming Huckabee -- among others -- supports amnesty and special benefits for illegal immigrants.

Huckabee said of the attacks, "Well, he [Romney] knows it's not true. I don't support amnesty. I don't support special benefits. I support a secure border. I don't support the idea of sanctuary cities. I don't support amnesty. What I do support, George, is humane treatment of human beings. I support enforcing the law. I am for our support, a federal government that's competent enough to actually secure the border and get this thing right."

Romney, however, has not been the only vocal critic of Huckabee. The Club for Growth has released more than one ad this primary season criticizing Huckabee for his record on taxes.

When presented with figures showing a tax burden increase of $1,000 over his 10 years as governor, Huckabee argued, "Well, first of all, I plead to the charge of cutting taxes 94 times. I also recognize that the income tax was the same when I left office as it was when I started. The overall tax burden, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce, state and local taxes in my state, in the nearly 11 years I was governor, went up by 1.1 percent."