RedState speculated that ongoing tensions with former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson, a former Huckabee GOP primary foe who has endorsed Hoffman, have kept Huckabee from weighing in. Huckabee is widely thought to be at odds with Thompson over the senator’s refusal to drop out of the 2008 contest until well after he was a viable candidate.

The American Spectator questioned whether the anti-tax Club for Growth’s active role in the New York race has kept Huckabee away. During the 2008 race, the anti-tax organization emerged as a chief critic of Huckabee for the fiscal policies he pursued during his tenure in Arkansas.

Both the Thompson camp and the Club for Growth gave evidence of those tensions by taking shots at Huckabee for his nonendorsement.

“We’re very disappointed that Gov. Huckabee saw fit to come into the district for a Conservative Party event and then didn’t support or contribute to Hoffman,” said a source close to Thompson.

“He’s only hurting himself with his silence,” said Club for Growth Executive Director David Keating, who noted archly that “some people might conclude he supports Scozzafava.”