I think Huckabee has a certain appeal that a lot of "moderates" don't have. It's similar to how I thought Rick Santorum, deplorable though he may be, was the most (the only?) electable GOP candidate in 2012.
And yes, this poll seems to be missing about half those most speculated about as nominees (Paul, Walker, Kasich, Ryan and Pence spring to mind). A lot of these candidates would be kerbstomped in a neutral year.
I sort of felt that way as well about Rick Santorum in 2012. Despite his ultra-conservative positions on social issues and foreign policy, Santorum seemed to have a lot of appeal to the so-called "blue collar conservatives" and even the remaining "Reagan Democrats" that Romney surely lacked. I guess Santorum's appeal stemmed from how he communicated his views to those types of voter groups and due to the fact that his background was more in line with the common man than Romney's was. Those characteristics could have helped him in states like Ohio, Iowa, Colorado and Florida. In the meantime, his more extreme positions on other issues might have ended up costing him at least North Carolina, Arizona, Georgia and maybe even Montana.
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