A new Gallup poll shows that fifty percent of adults believe that former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee is qualified to be president. Chris Cillizza of The Washington Post wonders if Mr. Huckabee has the ability to win the GOP nomination in 2012.

But, it’s clear that Huckabee’s 2008 race had a far different impact on the average American. Huckabee’s run for president seems not only have left most Americans with a generally positive feeling about the former governor but also changed the perception of him from something of an entertaining oddity into someone who could be president one day.

It’s a similar phenomenon to what former Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.) experience between 2004 when he was the fresh-faced upstart to 2008 when he was taken far more seriously by voters and the political press.

That’s not really the comparison that you want. Still, Steve Schmidt, former campaign advisor to John McCain, reminded me that with the exception of George W. Bush Republicans love to nominate candidates that have previously run for president. I’m not suggesting that’s enough for Mr. Huckabee, but with the political challenges of Mitt Romney and Sarah Palin apparent, his polls numbers may be more telling than pundits realize.