Jon Huntsman officially launched his presidential campaign three weeks ago, amid much media buzz. So where has he been since?
Huntsman appeared set to shake up the race throughout the first half of this year, when he resigned from his post as President Obama’s Ambassador to China, with his sights apparently set on running against the same man who had crossed party lines to appoint him.
In the last three weeks, however, Huntsman’s name has been little mentioned in the media, nor is he exactly shaking up the polls.
This is not to say he has done anything truly irrational for a presidential candidate — such as going on a Greek cruise, for example. In fact, Huntsman has been spending the last two days touring the key primary state of South Carolina, with an appearance in Greer on Monday and appearance today in Greenville.
But it would be hard to tell from the polls, in which Huntsman consistently scores at only 1%-2% in the key early states. And what’s more, some numbers are now coming down the pike that will show him doing badly even in Utah, where he was elected governor in 2004 and 2008.
Utah, of course, is also being contested by national frontrunner Mitt Romney, who in 2008 won the state’s Super Tuesday primary with an astonishing 90%, thanks to his status as the only Mormon candidate in the race. (On the same day, John McCain was drubbing Romney throughout the rest of the country — but got only 5% in Utah.) But how would Huntsman, a fellow Mormon who was twice elected governor by the people, measure up?
In a teaser by Public Policy Polling (D) for their upcoming numbers of Utah, it is dryly noted that Huntsman would “hold Romney to a 68 pt lead head to head.” Ouch.
The Romney campaign last week rolled out a a rather pointed series of endorsements in Utah, including from Sen. Orrin Hatch and the state’s lieutenant governor, attorney general, and top state legislators.
Furthermore, Rep. Jason Chaffetz, who broke through in politics as Huntsman’s campaign manager in the 2004 gubernatorial race, is now with Team Romney. “It was a little difficult,” said Chaffetz. “Jon Huntsman is a good man, but when your goal is to beat Barack Obama I just think Mitt Romney is in a much better position to do that.
Freshman Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) — who previously served as Huntsman’s chief gubernatorial counsel — is remaining neutral in the presidential race for now. But oddly for a man who served under him, Lee said he doesn’t have a full idea of Huntsman. “He’s such a new entry that a lot of people — including me — have not yet had an opportunity to review his platform,” Lee told TPM. “He’s something of an unknown quantity as a presidential candidate.”
As for Huntsman’s appearances in South Carolina, this prompted state Dem chairman Dick Harpootlian to give some amusing commentary on a conference call with reporters, Politico reports:
“Here’s a guy who had his lips firmly planted on the president’s butt three months ago, and now is speaking ill out of ’em out of those same lips. Can you trust a guy who turns this quickly? He is somebody who apparently will say whatever it takes to get elected,” Harpootlian said. “Huntsman, not only is he disingenuous, he’s disloyal. So I must admit I have a bit more vitriol for him than I might the other candidates. Is that too subtle?”
Then, quietly, he added: “I don’t think the DNC’s going to ask me to do these anymore.”
The Huntsman campaign did not respond to TPM’s request for comment.
