Shooting reopens Huckabee’s clemency record

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — A political analyst says former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee’s decision to grant clemency to the suspect in the killing of four Washington state police officers could cost him if he seeks another presidential run.

University of Arkansas at Little Rock political scientist Art English said Monday that Huckabee’s decision to make Maurice Clemmons eligible for parole in 2000 could “definitely be a vulnerability” should he face off in a primary with a law-and-order Republican.

He says it’s hard not to compare the case to that of Willie Horton, a convicted killer who raped a woman while on release as part of a furlough program supported by then Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis.

Allies of former President George H.W. Bush ran ads criticizing Dukakis’ support for the program, undermining the Democrat’s presidential campaign.