Huckabee has said his main focus for the next month is Iowa. | Getty Huckabee says he'll drop out if he doesn't place in the top three in Iowa

It’s Iowa or nothing for Mike Huckabee.

The former governor of Arkansas — who’s been a long-shot candidate relegated to the undercard primary debates during the 2016 presidential campaign — told Iowa radio host Simon Conway on Wednesday night, “If we can’t come within striking distance of the victory or win it, then I think we recognize that it’s going to be hard to take that onto the other states.”


Conway, whose program airs on Des Moines AM station WHO, asked whether there is a specific number that Huckabee wanted to hit in order to stay in the race.

“Well, I mean historically, we’ve always said there are three tickets out of Iowa, you have to come in No. 1, 2 or 3. I think in many ways that’s probably still the case,” he said.

“It may be that if you’re a close second or a close third, that’s very good. If you’re a distant third, then maybe there’s not a way to go on. I think you have a good hard look at it after Iowa.”

Huckabee has said his main focus for the next month is Iowa, which he described as “chronic ground zero” before explaining that he is practically living in the state and will temporarily relocate more than 30 full-time campaign employees there in January.