Huntsman to Drop Out of GOP Race; Will Endorse Romney

Jan 15, 2012 9:35pm

ap huntsman 120115 wblog Huntsman to Drop Out of GOP Race; Will Endorse Romney

(David Goldman/AP Photo)

Jon Huntsman will drop out of the Republican presidential race  on Monday, a campaign spokesman told ABC News.

A source close to the Huntsman campaign said the former ambassador to China and Utah governor was “proud of the race that he ran” but “did not want to stand in the way” of rival Mitt Romney, the current front-runner for the Republican nomination.

Huntsman plans to endorse Romney at an 11 a.m. press conference Monday in Myrtle Beach, S.C.

After a disappointing third place finish in New Hampshire — a contest on which he had staked his candidacy — Huntsman vowed to fight on. In his concession speech in New Hampshire, he told his supporters:  “I say third place is a ticket to ride, ladies and gentleman! Hello, South Carolina!”

But just six days from the South Carolina primary, Huntsman has said goodbye to the Palmetto state after all.

A Huntsman aide tells ABC News that the decision came in the wake of the results of the New Hampshire primary.

“He has been discussing with his family after they woke up after a successful evening in New Hampshire. They felt good about their performance in New Hampshire, but he and his family had a discussion and this is the decision they came to,” the aide said. “At the end of the day he decided he did not want to hurt the best chance of beating Barack Obama and that’s Mitt Romney. By continuing into South Carolina and Florida, that’s what he would have been doing.”

Word of Huntsman’s decision comes the same day that the biggest newspaper in South Carolina endorsed him.

The State newspaper of Columbia touted Huntsman’s resume, pointing to his record as governor of Utah, and his service as ambassador to both Bush and Obama.

“Mr. Huntsman is a true conservative, with a record and platform of bold economic reform straight out of the free-market bible, but he’s a realist, whose goal is likewise to get things done,” the paper wrote. “Under his leadership, Utah led the nation in job creation, and the Pew Center on the States ranked it the best-managed state in the nation.”

After attending church this morning with his wife Mary Kaye and daughter Gracie Mei, Huntsman said he was happy to have the endorsement.

“I think it’s a big deal anytime you get the largest paper in the state to come out and endorse you that’s a big deal,” he said. “I thought it was well written and well argued.”

While Huntsman will be throwing his support to Romney on Monday, it was only a week ago that he told ABC’s John Berman just the opposite.

When asked if he trusts Governor Romney, Huntsman replied, “He has not put forth reason to give us a reason for us to trust him.”

Earlier this month, he told another ABC reporter that Romney is “completely out of touch.”

And as recently as Saturday, Huntsman was questioning Romney’s electability.

Reporters asked Huntsman if any of the Republican establishment  had reached out to him and asked him to tone down his criticism of Romney and his work with Bain Capital. Huntsman explained: “Nope. And listen. I have said what I have said. My problem is really a political issue. And that is, when you have a candidate that talks about enjoyment in firing people, talks about pink-slips, who makes a comment that seem to be so detached from the problems that Americans are facing today, that makes you pretty much unelectable. And I say, we want a nominee who can actually go on to win. That’s the issue … the bigger issue is one of electability.”

Huntsman, 51, entered the race last summer to high expectations, but he struggled from the start to win over conservative Republican voters.

Huntsman is now the fourth Republican candidate to drop out of the campaign. Tim Pawlenty, the former governor Minnesota, dropped out last summer after a disappointing finish in the Iowa straw poll. Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota dropped out just after the Iowa Caucus and businessman Herman Cain left the race in a storm of sexual harassment allegations.

Original Article

Views: 99

Comment

You need to be a member of 12160 Social Network to add comments!

Join 12160 Social Network

Comment by truth on January 16, 2012 at 10:16am

He endorsed Mittens? what a HO! I bet he is thinking he may get vp slot.

Comment by TheLasersShadow on January 16, 2012 at 4:17am

We're going to pick up a 25%+of them according to polls. If 50%+ go to Romney, the rest being split between Perry, Gingrich and Santorum we end up improving our chances at 2nd place in SC. We currently have a surge going. RP is the only one other than Romney that has a REAL national Campaign as long as we stay in close second we will be seriously challenging for the nomination after our wins in later states like Nevada.

Comment by Cryptocurrency on January 16, 2012 at 12:35am

Now all the Hunstman zombies are going to start drooling all over the Romney campaign. As if we needed more dribble under the Romney banner.

Comment by Nikki on January 15, 2012 at 11:25pm

It's quite amusing how they bash their opponent and later turn around and endorse them.

Comment by TommyD on January 15, 2012 at 11:22pm

narrowing the field

"Destroying the New World Order"

TOP CONTENT THIS WEEK

THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING THE SITE!

mobile page

12160.info/m

12160 Administrators

 

Latest Activity

Less Prone favorited tjdavis's video
4 hours ago
Less Prone posted a photo

Social Engineering 101

That's how it goes.
4 hours ago
Doc Vega posted a blog post

A Prelude to WW III ? It Seems There We Are Trailblazing Idiocy into More Blood and Destruction!

They're rolling out the 25th Amendment trying to stop Joe Biden from insanely thrusting the US in a…See More
9 hours ago
Less Prone posted a video

Chris Langan - The Interview THEY Didn't Want You To See - CTMU [Full Version; Timestamps]

DW Description: Chris Langan is known to have the highest IQ in the world, somewhere between 195 and 210. To give you an idea of what this means, the average...
yesterday
Doc Vega posted a blog post

RFK Jr. Appoinment Rocks the World of the Federal Health Agncies and The Big Pharma Profits!

The Appointment by Trump as Secretary of HHS has sent shockwaves through the federal government…See More
Tuesday
tjdavis posted a video

Somewhere in California.

Tom Waites and Iggy Pop meet in a midnight diner in Jim Jarmusch's 2003 film Coffee and Cigarettes.
Tuesday
cheeki kea commented on cheeki kea's photo
Thumbnail

1 possible 1

"It's possible, but less likely. said the cat."
Monday
cheeki kea posted a photo
Monday
tjdavis posted a blog post
Monday
Tori Kovach commented on cheeki kea's photo
Thumbnail

You are wrong, all of you.

"BECAUSE TARIFFS WILL PUT MONEY IN YOUR POCKETS!"
Monday
Tori Kovach posted photos
Monday
Doc Vega posted a blog post

Whatever Happened?

Whatever Happened?  The unsung heroes will go about their dayRegardless of the welcome they've…See More
Sunday
Doc Vega commented on Doc Vega's blog post A Requiem for the Mass Corruption of the Federal Government
"cheeki kea Nice work! Thank you! "
Sunday
cheeki kea commented on Doc Vega's blog post A Requiem for the Mass Corruption of the Federal Government
"Chin up folks, once the low hanging fruit gets picked off a clearer view will reveal the higher…"
Sunday
Doc Vega's 4 blog posts were featured
Saturday
tjdavis's blog post was featured
Saturday
cheeki kea commented on cheeki kea's blog post Replicon Started in Tokyo October 08, 2024
"Your right LP it's insane for sure and hopefully improbable, keeping an open mind. Checking…"
Saturday
rlionhearted_3 commented on tjdavis's blog post Bill Gates Deleted Documentary
Saturday
rlionhearted_3 commented on tjdavis's blog post Bill Gates Deleted Documentary
"The white dude in the center is Bill Gates!!! "
Saturday
Less Prone favorited tjdavis's blog post Bill Gates Deleted Documentary
Nov 15

© 2024   Created by truth.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service

content and site copyright 12160.info 2007-2019 - all rights reserved. unless otherwise noted