Less than one day after his appointment was announced, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee has resigned from the CMA Foundation board of directors, following a hailstorm of criticism from members of the country music industry.
The CMA Foundation is the charitable arm of the Country Music Association dedicated to putting music education in schools, something that Huckabee had been a longtime champion of. However, his conservative politics proved to be too much for many in Nashville to tolerate.
According to the Tennessean, several prominent music executives threatened an outright boycott of the CMA as a result of the appointment, citing not only Huckabee’s exclusionary stance on the LGBT community but also his involvement with the NRA.
Jason Owen, co-president of Monument Records and owner at Sandbox Entertainment, who represents artists including Little Big Town, Faith Hill and Midland, said it was a “grossly offensive decision” and noted that none of his companies nor the artists he represents would support the foundation if Huckabee were to remain on board.
Country music fans also responded on social media, many of which offered up their own threats to boycott the CMA, the CMA Music Festival, and even country music altogether.
Chairman of the CMA Foundation Joe Galante explained in a statement that Huckabee was elected to the position because the CMA Foundation could benefit from the knowledge gained during Huckabee’s extensive political career.
“Gov. Huckabee led an impressive administration while serving the state of Arkansas and his policy experience with education reform is something we are fortunate to be able to learn from,” Galante said.
Huckabee’s appointment was announced, along with singer Chris Young, on Feb. 28. To date, the CMA Foundation has invested over $20 million in 84 programs across the national public school system, after-school programs, summer camps and through community outreach organizations.
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