New website solicits prayers as Mike Huckabee considers presidential run

Usually, potential presidential aspirants seek cash before waging a campaign. Mike Huckabee wants your prayers.

To that end, a new website has been launched seeking divine inspiration for the former Arkansas governor, called www.prayforhuckabee.com.

“As many of you know, I am prayerfully considering an important decision about seeking the office of president in the 2012 election. I am asking for God’s guidance now, and I humbly ask that you would join me in prayer as I seek to discern His will for my life,” Huckabee writes on the page. “Together, let’s pray for God’s mercy on America. Pray that He will heal our land. Pray that I will hear the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit as He leads my steps according to His will.”

Sincere as that appeal may be, the website also includes a form that requires users to submit their full name and e-mail address to log their support. That information could then be used by Huckabee to build on his existing database to send messages about his potential campaign and appeals for donations.

Hogan Gidley, executive director of Huckabee’s Huck PAC political committee, said in an e-mail that the site “is not one of Governor Huckabee’s official websites nor does it have anything to do with Huck PAC. However, the Governor is overwhelmed and encouraged by the many people who pray for him as he prepares to make a decision about running for president.”

The page was linked to, however, by Huckabee’s official Facebook page.

The domain was registered by Floyd Brown, an author and political consultant who has recently written favorably of Huckabee. Gidley did not immediately respond to further questions, and Brown could not be immediately reached.

Huckabee has otherwise shown no indications of moving toward a presidential run, even though most state and national public polling continues to show him as one of the clear front-runners.

When a leading conservative website reported two weeks ago that Huckabee appeared to be leaning against a run, his aides quickly responded that Huckabee continues to give it serious consideration and will not make a final decision until the summer.

michael.memoli@latimes.com

Kim Geiger of the Washington bureau contributed.