Huckabee to visit Willard for Ashcroft campaign rally

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee is scheduled to visit Willard this summer to campaign for Jay Ashcroft, a Republican running for Missouri secretary of state.

The TV commentator and former presidential candidate signed on to participate in a June 9 event Ashcroft’s campaign has dubbed the Faith ’n Freedom Festival. It’s slated to be held at the Ashcroft family farm in Willard, 5578 W. Farm Road 54, according to a news release.

“A trusted voice for conservative values, Huckabee’s support will help solidify our campaign as the consistent conservative choice for Missouri secretary of state,” said Ashcroft, a St. Louis attorney and former state senator, in the release.

Ashcroft, son of former governor, U.S. senator and attorney general John Ashcroft, is up against Republicans Will Kraus, a state senator, and Roi Chinn, a 2010 candidate for the Missouri Senate. Declared Democrats for secretary of state are M.D. Rabbi Alam, a 2012 candidate for secretary of state, Robin Smith, a former news anchor, and Bill Clinton Young, a 2012 candidate for the Missouri House of Representatives.

For the first quarter, Ashcroft’s campaign reported $531,102 in money on hand, according to the Missouri Ethics Commission. Other candidates’ first-quarter totals were:
    •    Kraus, $723,258;
    •    Smith, $95,571;
    •    Alam, no money disclosed;
    •    Chinn, no money disclosed; and
    •    Young, no money disclosed.

The primary election is scheduled Aug. 2, followed by the Nov. 8 general election.