Romney Campaign Behind Hoax?

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Breaking news, from the Des Moines Register today:

Huckabee campaign warns of hoax
Jared Strong, Register Staff Writer

Republican Mike Huckabee’s campaign is warning supporters about a hoax e-mail claiming Huckabee’s presidential campaign chairman in Iowa is leaving the campaign to support another GOP candidate.

“I’m not leaving my guy any time,” chairman Bob Vander Plaats said today of Huckabee. “I don’t know where this came from, but I think they see that Huckabee is gaining huge momentum, and he’s becoming quite a threat to a lot of people.”

The source of the e-mail was unknown but a Huckabee campaign aide had received a copy.

A Des Moines Register poll published Sunday shows the former Arkansas governor’s support in Iowa has surged 8 points to 12 percent since May among likely Republican caucus participants. Huckabee trails Mitt Romney, at 29 percent, and Fred Thompson, with 18 percent.

The e-mail purports that Vander Plaats is shifting his support to Romney after a poor fundraising quarter by the Huckabee campaign and it invites supporters to attend a press conference on Wednesday at the State Capitol for an official announcement.

"This campaign is way more about message than about money,” Vander Plaats said.