Huckabee to keynote anti-abortion gala

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R ) will deliver the keynote address at a prominent anti-abortion gala next week, adding to speculation that he’s preparing to mount a 2016 run for president.

Huckabee is slated to speak Wednesday at the Susan B. Anthony List Gala in Washington, D.C., an event that’s played host to other possible GOP presidential candidates including Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.).

{mosads}Reps. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) will also receive awards at the gathering.

Huckabee’s invitation follows a series of recent appearances in early presidential primary states. The Fox News host and erstwhile Baptist minister also spoke at CPAC this week and headlined the Republican National Committee’s (RNC) winter meeting.

He’s the most popular among the potential 2016 GOP presidential candidates, according to several polls. A left-leaning Public Policy Polling survey from January found that Huckabee gained 3 points following his controversial “Uncle Sugar” remark, putting him at the top of the Republican field.

At the RNC meeting, Huckabee said: “If the Democrats want to insult the women of America by making them believe that they are helpless without Uncle Sugar coming in and providing for them a prescription each month for birth control because they cannot control their libido or reproductive system without the help of the government, so be it.”

Huckabee is likely to address the comment, which drew strong condemnation from Democrats, at Wednesday’s event.