At least in Iowa:

Mike Huckabee once advocated isolating AIDS patients from the general public, opposed increased federal funding in the search for a cure and said homosexuality could “pose a dangerous public health risk.”

As a candidate for a U.S. Senate seat in 1992, Huckabee answered 229 questions submitted to him by The Associated Press. Besides a quarantine, Huckabee suggested that Hollywood celebrities fund AIDS research from their own pockets, rather than federal health agencies.

“If the federal government is truly serious about doing something with the AIDS virus, we need to take steps that would isolate the carriers of this plague,” Huckabee wrote.

“It is difficult to understand the public policy towards AIDS. It is the first time in the history of civilization in which the carriers of a genuine plague have not been isolated from the general population, and in which this deadly disease for which there is no cure is being treated as a civil rights issue instead of the true health crisis it represents.”

…

When asked about AIDS research in 1992, Huckabee complained that AIDS research received an unfair share of federal dollars when compared to cancer, diabetes and heart disease.

“In light of the extraordinary funds already being given for AIDS research, it does not seem that additional federal spending can be justified,” Huckabee wrote. “An alternative would be to request that multimillionaire celebrities, such as Elizabeth Taylor (,) Madonna and others who are pushing for more AIDS funding be encouraged to give out of their own personal treasuries increased amounts for AIDS research.”

Of course, by the early 1990s (and well before that, really), it was entirely clear that AIDS could not be spread through casual contact and thus a quarantine could serve no legitimate purpose. Given that, Huckabee’s position really seems to be explained by another answer he gave on the questionnaire:

“I feel homosexuality is an aberrant, unnatural, and sinful lifestyle, and we now know it can pose a dangerous public health risk.”

There are major parts of the Republican base where this won’t hurt Huckabee, of course. But I think this just makes clearer than ever that Huckabee would not just be a weak general-election candidate, he’d simply be implausible.

UPDATE (4:33 p.m.): The Huckabee camp puts out a statement. He hides behind the science, which wasn’t terribly ambiguous in 1992, as best I know. His current position on AIDS research is much more liberal. I wonder if his views on homosexuality have evolved? (Resisting urge to make evolution joke … damn. Couldn’t resist.)