• Mike Huckabee grew up in a rented house in the tiny little town of Hope, Arkansas, where
people always asked, "do you really think that some obscure, unknown governor born in Hope has any
chance to be president of the United States" until Bill Clinton put their question to rest.

• He spent his entire childhood in Hope and his formative years were influenced by his
father, mother, sister and the community in Hope where "people kind of looked after each other". 

• Though there was little money and influence found in Hope, the young Huckabee never had a
defeatist attitude.

• He had a modest childhood and still recalls the old days when his family used scratchy lava
soap, humorously adding, "It wasn't until I got to college that I realized showers were not supposed
to hurt."

• An eight-year old Huckabee, along with his father, went to see Governor Orville Faubus,
"deliver a speech and dedicate a lake". This is perhaps one of the chapters in his life that
heralded the illustrious political future that awaited little Huckabee.

• From a very young age Huckabee had been a smooth talker with the dynamism of a natural
leader and a heightened political sensibility. He once said, "I was a true-blue, conservative,
family-oriented young Republican."  

• He preached his first sermon at the age of fifteen and wanted to grow up to be a rock star.
Even today, he never misses a chance to pick up his guitar and strum to the beats of his music band
'Capitol Offense'.

• When Sarah Palin was just two months old, her family moved to the 'Last Frontier' state of
Alaska where she was raised. 

• Alaska is definitely not a place for the faint-hearted and Palin's school days often began
with a moose hunt in the Alaskan wilds. On most of the cold winter days, she used to go ice-fishing
and hiking with her father and siblings. Summers were spent going on early morning runs and
marathons with the whole family.

• The family lived frugally with Palin's father working over-time as a hunting and fishing
guide as well as a bartender to help make ends meet.

• Palin attended Wasilla High School where she was the leader of the Fellowship of Christian
Athletes.

• She was the captain and point guard of the school's girls' basketball team. When the school
won the Alaska state championship in 1982, Palin was nick-named 'Barracuda' for her competitive
streak.

• Her father Chuck remembers, "Sarah got a lot of stern discipline from me and a lot of love,
devotion and faith from her mom. I'd push her a lot in sport and outdoor activities. I taught her to
believe she could do anything in the world she wanted to do, if she put her mind to it."

• While her classmates graduated to take up teaching, accountancy and police work, Palin had
set her sights on public recognition. She had strong ambitions to become a sport commentator and
television presenter.

• Palin had been an avid reader of loved books such as 'Old Yeller' and 'Charlie and the
Chocolate Factory'.

• Romney grew up in Bloomfield Hills, studied in Cranbrook High School and enjoyed a breezy,
privileged childhood.

• His parents' cottage on the Canadian shores of Lake Huron, Ontario is one place that holds
his most cherished childhood memories.

• He always idolized his father, George Romney and whiled away his childhood days sitting on
his father's lap, watching him read the paper.

• Romney characterizes his mother as someone who lived by adages often quoting her favorite
ones, "If not me, who? If not now, when? If not here, where?"

• Romney's elite classmates wanted to grow up to be professional athletes or the president of
America, he aspired to run a car company like his father.

• Romney's classmate Jim Bailey says of him, "He was in many ways the antithesis of what he's
portrayed as today." Romney once competed in a 2.5 mile race, finally crossing the finish line
around ten minutes after the last runner. Bailey remembers, "It had to be one of those moments that
made you feel inadequate but those kinds of things didn't bother him."

• During the six years that he studied at Cranbrook school, Romney never showed himself to be
a leader. Nevertheless, he was a kinetic kid who loved to pull off pranks.


• Mitt Romney shared his father's front-row seat on government, first as a campaign aide and
then as an intern in the governor's office.

• Both of Romney's parents dabbled in politics, so it comes as no surprise that Romney ended
up doing the same.

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