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Washington • Mike Huckabee is leaving Fox News to decide whether he wants to run for president.
The Republican former governor of Arkansas said that Saturday night's episode of "Huckabee" is the last.
"There has been a great deal of speculation as to whether I would run for president. And if I were willing to absolutely rule that out, I could keep doing this show. But I can't make such a declaration," Huckabee said at the end of the show.
"As much as I have loved doing the show, I cannot bring myself to rule out another presidential run," he said.
Huckabee has hosted the show for more than six years. Ending his show is a requirement for laying the groundwork for a presidential run. As a policy, Fox ends relationships with commentators who form exploratory committees or seriously intend to run for office.
The network said it has "amicably parted ways" with Huckabee. It was "in the best of both of their interests," a network spokeswoman said.
Huckabee's decision instantly shakes up the emerging race for the Republican presidential nomination. Particularly in Iowa, where Huckabee surged from the bottom of the polls in 2008 to win the presidential caucuses.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and Republican Texas Gov. Rick Perry have been courting Iowa's evangelical voters for months, believing the support of that bloc is up for grabs. Huckabee's entry would make the battle for those conservative votes a messy and crowded contest, with the Arkansan bringing a deep base of support from his 2008 campaign with him. Huckabee drew more favorable responses than any other potential candidate during an exit poll last year in Iowa, with 19 percent of Republican voters there saying they wanted him to be the next presidential nominee.
Huckabee's decision comes after months of private discussions with his family, his advisers and his top donors about his political future and whether he should leave the Fox program, which has provided him with a hefty salary and enabled him to purchase a beachfront mansion in Florida.
An early test for Huckabee's 2016 ambitions will begin later this month when he goes on a national tour to tout his new book, "God, Guns, Grits and Gravy," a 272-page manifesto on politics and culture.