The not-so-secret weapon of a candidate’s campaigning spouse

Janet Huckabee stood before the group of Republican women and described what it was like to go through airport security after two knee replacements.

Her comments drew chuckles from the 26 women who took time out of their Wednesday to meet Huckabee at an Urbandale restaurant. Huckabee, though, wasn’t there to get laughs. She wanted to talk about her husband, Mike, Arkansas’ former governor and one of 17 Republicans vying for the presidential nomination.

“I know more about Mike Huckabee than anybody in the world,” said Janet Huckabee, 60. “I’ve lived with him for 41 years … Why are we doing this? We’re doing it because of our five grandchildren … So we can leave America in better shape than we found it.”

Spouses of politicians often get called on to shine a light on a candidate’s softer side, taking the glare away from hardline policy stances, political experts say.

“That helps to soften a particular candidate’s image to a certain extent,” said Tim Hagle, political science professor at the University of Iowa.

MORE: Your guide to 2016 candidate spouses

And if a candidate’s spouse is comfortable speaking in front of groups, she or he becomes the top surrogate for a campaign, said Dianne Bystrom, director of the Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics at Iowa State University. In addition, when spouses campaign, they are helping the candidate extend his or her time and reach, as well as their fundraising ability, she said.

Iowans will get to hear and talk with the spouses of many candidates between now and Feb. 1, when the first-in-the-nation caucuses are held. The Republican Party of Polk County, for instance, has reached out to several candidates’ campaigns to line up appearances similar to that of Janet Huckabee, said Gloria Mazza, executive director of the Polk County group. Kelley Paul, wife of U.S. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, is expected to speak to Republican women in September, Mazza said.

“Who is closest to the candidates? Their spouse,” she said. “If they are going to be first lady, we need to hear from them.”

Scrutinizing a candidate and his or her family has been a long-standing tradition in the United States and elsewhere, said Kelly Dittmar,an assistant professor of political science at Rutgers University-Camden and an author who has written on gender and American politics. Voters are not only electing someone to be president but also a family to represent the country, she said.

“The campaigns are an audition for that candidate and their family to see how voters think about them as first family,” Dittmar said.

This presidential campaign cycle includes two female candidates whose spouses have avoided the limelight, likely by design, Hagle said.

Former President Bill Clinton has not been in Iowa with his wife, Hillary, who is seeking the Democratic presidential nomination. Neither has Frank Fiorina, whose wife, Carly, is vying for the Republican presidential nomination.

“You don’t see the husband out speaking for the wife who is a candidate very often,” Hagle said. “I think there is a concern that that person could overshadow the wife that’s a candidate.”

Carter campaigned heavily for spouse

Since announcing his candidacy in May, Mike Huckabee has been in Iowa 18 days, and his wife has accompanied him on nearly every trip. She typically introduces him at events and at times answers audience questions. She poses for pictures, signs autographs and shakes hands. This week she’s in the state campaigning by herself, the first spouse of a candidate this election season to do so.

Huckabee said she enjoys meeting Iowans and talking to them one-on-one. “I think it’s fun,” she said. “Mike and I enjoy people and learning about new places. This is the perfect opportunity for us to do both.”

Several other candidates’ spouses also travel on campaign trips.

Tonette Walker, wife of Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, typically walks around the room at a campaign event, visiting with people. Jane Sanders, wife of Democrat Bernie Sanders, often is taking photos and videos on her smartphone and applauding with the audience.

Rosalynn Carter paved the way for spouses to take an active role in presidential campaigns.

In 1975, Carter and her son’s mother-in-law traveled to 42 states, including Iowa, in the family’s Chevrolet, campaigning for Jimmy Carter, according the Rosalynn Carter’s autobiography, “First Lady from Plains.” In Iowa, Rosalynn Carter met with farm families in their living rooms, learning about their problems and concerns, and passing them on to her husband. Those small group meetings help propel Jimmy Carter to his unexpected caucus win in 1976, she wrote.

Still, she was criticized for being gone from home and leaving her then-10-year-old daughter Amy, with others, Bystrom said.

“Now, spouses are expected to campaign,” she said.

Sometimes, though, it’s not feasible for a candidate’s spouse to campaign for or with them. Karen Santorum, wife of former Pennsylvania U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum, usually stays home to care for their daughter Bella, 7, who has a genetic disorder. Catherine O’Malley, wife of former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, is a judge who is barred by state law from engaging in any campaign activity.

Candidates’ spouses scrutinized by media

The scrutiny felt by Rosalynn Carter has not subsided 40 years later.

When Michelle Obama campaigned for her husband in 2008, she felt like she was held to a different standard than other candidates’ wives because she was black, Obama said during a May commencement ceremony at Tuskegee University in Alabama, according to a CNN report. She said she felt as if she was under a microscope with people scrutinizing everything she did.

At least two candidates’ spouses this presidential election cycle have also received unwanted media attention. Earlier this year, questions were raised about the spending habits of Columba Bush, wife of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. This summer, the 13 speeding tickets Jeanette Rubio has received since 1997 were in the news. Rubio is the wife of U.S. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio.

Huckabee told the group of women she talked with Wednesday that she knows from being the wife of a pastor and a politician what it’s like to be scrutinized, particularly by the media. “The press is always trying to maybe push you off of the pedestal,” she said.

After meeting with Republican women in Urbandale, Huckabee went to Des Moines’ east side to help build a Habitat for Humanity house. Huckabee was active with the group while she was Arkansas’ first lady.

Huckabee said she views her role as more than just a surrogate for husband on the campaign trail.

“I can be a sounding board for him and I can play the devil’s advocate,” she said. “I ask him a lot of questions which helps him see what that mother in New Mexico or Texas might be thinking.”

Candidates need their spouses’ support, in all types of ways, Huckabee said.

“Campaigning is difficult for any candidate. But to me it would be impossible if you didn’t have your spouse’s support.”

Next stops

On Thursday, Janet Huckabee’s stops include:

Cedar Rapids: 8 a.m., meet-and-greet with Linn County Republicans, Granite City, 4755 First Ave. S.E.

Iowa City: 11:30 a.m., meet-and-greet with Johnson County Republicans, Midtown Family Restaurant, 1069 Hwy. 1.

Davenport: 5 p.m., meet-and-greet, Davenport Guns & Shooting Club, 3701 Mississippi Ave.