“I visited w Gov. Pawlenty about that,” said Huck. “He’s a great guy, he’s a strong candidate, he’s a very articulate person and he has an incredible record. My point was that he doesn’t need to let the consultants coach him to the point that he doesn’t get to be who he is.”

The Arkansan was, however, notably less talkative when asked about Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s prospects.

“I think it’s wide open for anybody but we’ll see,” Huckabee said, not mentioning Perry.