( CNN ) Mike Huckabee , the former Arkansas governor , is ending his weekend program on Fox News -- effective immediately -- as he contemplates another run for president . `` I wo n't make a decision about running until late in the spring of 2015 , but the continued chatter has put Fox News into a position that is not fair to them , '' Huckabee wrote in a letter to supporters Saturday evening released before his show started airing . `` The honorable thing to do at this point is to end my tenure here at Fox so I can openly talk with potential donors and supporters and gauge support , '' he added . On his Saturday night program , titled `` Huckabee , '' he said goodbye to viewers while insisting he had n't made up his mind yet about actually running . He put it this way : `` As much as I have loved doing the show , I can not bring myself to rule out another presidential run . Oh , to be clear , I 'm not making that announcement right now . '' He said he 'd probably continue to make guest appearances on Fox -- `` I hope so ! '' -- and he thanked the network 's chairman Roger Ailes for `` the past six and a half years of support . '' Some of Huckabee 's rivals might say the weekly platform on Fox — where he reached about 1.3 million viewers — gave him a leg-up . In a recent CNN/ORC poll about potential Republican presidential candidates , Huckabee received the support of 6 percent of respondents , putting him tied for fourth place . RELATED : CNN/ORC Poll : Bush surges to 2016 GOP frontrunner . On Saturday afternoon Huckabee had urged his followers on Facebook and Twitter to tune in for an announcement `` that will make news for sure . '' In his subsequent letter , he wrote , `` As much as I have loved doing the show , I love my country more , and feel that it may be time for me to enter a zone of comfort to engage in the conflicts that have almost destroyed the bedrock foundations of America . '' `` I feel compelled to ascertain if the support exists strongly enough for another Presidential run . So as we say in television , stay tuned ! '' A spokeswoman for Huckabee reaffirmed that he would make a decision about a run by `` late spring . '' But by quitting the program now , Huckabee avoids further questions about the conflict between his television perch and a tantalizing bid for the presidency . Those questions arose two months ago after The Washington Post reported that Huckabee was rebuilding a political team . It has been no secret that Huckabee has been pondering another run for president . He has been holding meetings with GOP donors and recruiting staffers for a potential campaign . But he has been `` very careful about this '' -- his words , in an interview with The Washington Post , in November -- because of the potential conflict between his television show and a campaign . Huckabee mounted an unsuccessful run for the Republican nomination in 2008 . Later that year , he started to host the show . Amid speculation about a possible run in 2012 , he teased an announcement in May 2011 but ended up telling viewers that he 'd opted against a bid : `` All the factors say 'go ' but my heart says 'no . ' '' Political prognosticators have said that a Huckabee run is more likely this time around . After The Post story in November , a Fox News executive said the network was `` taking a serious look '' at his political activity and `` evaluating his current status . '' In the past , Fox has terminated the contracts of employees who take clear steps toward political candidacies , by forming an exploratory committee , for instance . In early November it severed Ben Carson 's contributor contract . RELATED : Ben Carson leaves Fox News , mulls run . Fox said nothing further about Huckabee 's status until Saturday , when a network spokesperson confirmed that it had `` amicably parted ways with Huckabee . '' Huckabee , in his on-air sign-off , positioned it the same way . `` I agree with Fox that this is the right thing , and now is the right time , '' he said , while acknowledging the network 's `` generous paycheck . '' While hosting a show and abiding by Fox 's restrictions , he said , it is not `` possible for me to openly determine political and financial support to justify a race . '' Now that process will presumably begin . Huckabee is already scheduled to visit Iowa later this month . He also has a new book coming out . So what will Fox do with Huckabee 's time slot ? A spokesperson said the network would run `` various specials '' for the next few weeks and try out `` a few new ideas . '' Ashley Killough and Peter Hamby contributed to this report .
Mike Huckabee told his TV viewers and emailed his supporters that he was ending his show and considering a 2016 bid . Huckabee said his presidential consideration put Fox News in a tough position so he decided to halt his program . Fox News confirmed the announcement Saturday that this evening 's show will be Huckabee 's last .