Huckabee quits CMA Foundation board after swift backlash

TL;DR

The Country Music Association Foundation named former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee to its board on February 28, 2018, alongside singer Chris Young.
Huckabee resigned less than 24 hours later after industry backlash over his conservative views on LGBTQ issues and guns.
The episode exposed tensions between country music's apolitical stance and members pushing for inclusivity.

The story at a glance

The Country Music Association Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the CMA focused on music education, appointed Mike Huckabee to its board, prompting quick protests from Nashville industry figures like manager Jason Owen. Huckabee stepped down the next day after threats to withdraw financial support for the foundation's programs. This came right after a CMA announcement naming Huckabee and Chris Young as new directors, amid the organization's efforts to stay out of politics.

Key points

CMA Foundation announced Huckabee's board appointment late on February 28, 2018; he resigned on March 1.
Backlash centered on Huckabee's past statements likening gay marriage to incest, calling homosexuality a sin, his NRA ties, and escorting Kim Davis from jail.
Jason Owen, an openly gay manager for Little Big Town and Kacey Musgraves, emailed CMA leaders threatening to end all support from his firms if Huckabee stayed.
Other critics included CMA member Whitney Pastorek and former board member Steve Schnur, who called it a step backward for Nashville.
CMA accepted the resignation "effective immediately" and issued no further comment on the appointment process.
Huckabee, a longtime arts advocate and bass player, said he joined unpaid to support music programs.

Details and context

Nashville's country music scene values tradition but faced rapid pushback here, unlike slower cultural shifts. The CMA Foundation funds student music education nationwide and links to CMA events like its awards show and summer festival.

Critics saw Huckabee's politics as clashing with the foundation's mission and country music's growing diversity, despite his cross-aisle work on school arts. This followed a recent CMA misstep: pre-awards guidelines barring media questions on guns or politics, reversed after outrage.

The appointment reportedly lacked full vetting, catching even insiders off guard.

Key quotes

"I genuinely regret that some in the industry were so outraged by my appointment that they bullied the CMA and the Foundation with economic threats and vowed to withhold support for the programs for students if I remained." — Mike Huckabee, in his resignation letter.[[1]](https://www.npr.org/sections/therecord/2018/03/02/590236960/mike-huckabee-resigns-from-music-education-board-after-fierce-backlash-from-nash)[[2]](https://www.tennessean.com/story/entertainment/music/2018/03/01/mike-huckabee-resigns-cma-foundation-board-following-controversy/385920002/)
"[Huckabee] has made it clear that my family is not welcome in his America... What a shameful choice." — Jason Owen, in letter to CMA CEO Sarah Trahern and outreach director Tiffany Kerns.[[1]](https://www.npr.org/sections/therecord/2018/03/02/590236960/mike-huckabee-resigns-from-music-education-board-after-fierce-backlash-from-nash)[[3]](https://variety.com/2018/music/news/mike-huckabee-resigns-country-music-foundation-nashville-controversy-1202714847/)

Why it matters

Country music's industry weighs protecting its nonpartisan image against demands for alignment on social issues like LGBTQ rights. For Nashville executives and artists, it signaled risks of funding cuts to education programs and potential rifts in a tradition-bound community. Watch if CMA adjusts board vetting or faces more calls for progressive stances, though no immediate changes were announced.