Jon Huntsman presidential campaign, 2012
Encyclopedia
Jon Huntsman is a Republican Party
(GOP) candidate for the 2012 United States presidential election
. On May 3, 2011, Huntsman announced his intentions to file a political action committee
with the Federal Election Commission
(named "H-PAC"). Subsequently, Huntsman announced on June 14, 2011 he was running for President and made an official announcement in Liberty State Park
one week later on June 21, 2011.
Huntsman sought to establish himself as an anti-negative
candidate and take the "high road." In his announcement, he also stated "I don't think you need to run down someone's reputation in order to run for the office of president."
, a position to which he was appointed by President Barack Obama
. Speculation of a Huntsman candidacy for the 2012 Republican presidential began circulating in the media as early as 2008 and 2009. In August 2010, a group of political strategists with ties to Huntsman formed a political action committee
now called "Horizon PAC" that had the resources to provide a framework for launching Huntsman's campaign in the event he chose to run. The PAC was formed in part as an effort to draft
Huntsman into seeking the GOP nomination.
In January 2011, Newsweek
published an article entitled "The Manchurian Candidate" which featured an interview with Huntsman. When asked specifically whether he intended to run for president in 2012, Huntsman declined to comment. The article generated significant speculation about a likely Huntsman 2012 presidential bid.
On January 31, 2011, Huntsman submitted his formal resignation from his post as U.S. Ambassador to China. The resignation was to take effect April 30, 2011, and Huntsman indicated his plans to return to the United States by May 2011. This move spurred further widespread speculation of Huntsman making a 2012 Republican presidential bid.
On May 3, 2011, after having left his post as ambassador and having returned to the United States, Huntsman formed an official fundraising political action committee
, building on the efforts of the previously established Horizon PAC. On May 18, 2011, Huntsman opened his 2012 national campaign headquarters in Orlando, Florida
.
." As governor, Huntsman listed economic development, health-care reform, education, and energy security as his top priorities. He oversaw large tax cuts and advocated reorganizing the way that services were distributed so that the government would not become overwhelmed by the state's fast growing population. He also proposed a plan to reform health-care, mainly through the private sector, by using tax breaks and negotiation to keep prices down.
In a 2008 evaluation of state governors' fiscal policies, the libertarian Cato Institute
praised Huntsman's conservative tax policies, ranking him in a tie for fifth place on overall fiscal policy. He was particularly lauded for his efforts to cut taxes, where he received the highest score on tax policy of all 50 governors. The report specifically highlighted his reductions of the sales tax and simplification of the tax code.
Huntsman has strongly supported civil unions for years but not same-sex marriage
. As Utah's Governor, he supported legislation that would have allowed civil unions for same-sex couples in the state. In 2007, in response to the problem of global warming
, Huntsman signed the Western Climate Initiative
, by which Utah joined with other governments in agreeing to pursue targets for reduced production of greenhouse gas
es. He also appeared in an advertisement sponsored by Environmental Defense
, in which he said, "Now it's time for Congress to act by capping greenhouse-gas pollution."
On foreign policy, Huntsman has repeatedly stated, "We need to continue working closely with China to convince North Korea
to abandon its nuclear weapons program." He has also named Taiwan, human rights, and Tibet among the "areas where we have differences with China" and vowed "robust engagement" on human rights.
On August 31, Huntsman made a major policy announcement, calling for, amongst other things such as more aggressive action on completing free trade agreements, a tax policy modeled on the Simpson-Bowles plan, specifically
with the Statue of Liberty
was visibly behind Huntsman while delivering his announcement speech. The location was chosen in homage to President Ronald Reagan
, who launched his own presidential campaign
from the same location. Referring to Reagan's announcement, Huntsman remarked in his own speech, "He assured us we could 'make America great again,' and under his leadership we did. I stand in his shadow as well as the shadow of this magnificent monument to our liberty."
In the lead-up to his official announcement, Huntsman gained attention for his campaign's unconventional TV ads, produced by veteran GOP strategist
Fred Davis III
, featuring a lone motocross
rider traveling through rugged terrain as cheesy music plays in the background, while quirky facts about Huntsman appear on the screen. These ads were widely parodied, including by the Utah Democratic Party
and former Senator Rick Santorum's campaign
.
A notable gaffe made by the Huntsman campaign in the moments before the announcement speech was misspelled press passes distributed to reporters on hand to cover the announcement which read "John Huntsman for President", erroneously adding an extra "H" to Huntsman's name. Aides reportedly scrambled in an effort to cease the distribution of the misspelled passes. Due to wind patterns that day, the American flags located behind the dais Huntsman was standing on appeared to be blowing in the wrong direction relative to where the spectators were.
, worked first as executive director of H-PAC and then as Huntsman's campaign manager. Her appointment dovetailed with Huntsman's strategic emphasis on winning the early Florida primary. She resigned on July 21, 2011, stating, "I signed up to get it started. It’s like a phase. This morning I said it’s time to move on." She went on to explain that she had never intended to stay on with the campaign indefinitely, but instead had plans "to resume [her] life and get home." Wiles stated her intention to continue to be a "friend and confidante of Huntsman." Matt David, previously the campaign's communications director, replaced Wiles as campaign manager.
The campaign hired Neil Ashdown, chief of staff to Huntsman when he was Utah governor and U.S. ambassador to China, as deputy campaign manager. Conyers Davis, who worked with former California Governor
Arnold Schwarzenegger
and David Cameron
's Conservative Party was hired as campaign operations director. Matt David served as the campaign's first communications director, before replacing Wiles as campaign manager, with Jake Suski as deputy communications director and Tim Miller serving as Huntsman's spokesperson. Kris Anderson is leading research for the campaign, with Shawn Reinschmiedt and Dan Comstock's M Street Insight doing research consulting work.
In mid-June 2011, C. Boyden Gray
joined the Huntsman team as policy chair. Gray served as White House Counsel to President George H. W. Bush
and EU Ambassador under George W. Bush
. In early July 2011, Mark McIntosh was appointed as the Huntsman campaign's policy director. McIntosh had been working as counsel on energy and natural resource issues at Boyden Gray & Associates, and he previously served as Deputy General Counsel for the White House Council on Environmental Quality under President George W. Bush
.
John Weaver
is serving as Huntsman's chief political strategist, with Fred Davis
as a key media strategist in charge of developing Huntsman's online web videos and branding efforts.
. Huntsman and fellow Republican contender Mitt Romney
have been sparring over many of the same donors, named "Moderate Donors" for their political leanings by MSNBC. Utah World Trade Center President Lew Cramer switched his endorsement (and contributed) to Huntsman from Romney. In addition, Morgan Stanley
chairman John Mack has donated to the Huntsman campaign.
With no obligation to do so due to his late entry into the race, the Huntsman Campaign agreed not to file FEC paperwork for the Second Quarter of 2011 ending on June 30, 2011 as reported by the ABC.
In September, Huntsman reportedly contributed $500,000 to his campaign in order to make payroll.
held in New Orleans in June 2011. He finished second in the annual presidential straw-poll with 25% of the vote behind Ron Paul
(41%) and ahead of Michele Bachmann
(13%)
Huntsman gained media attention when he responded to entrance of Rick Perry
(R
-TX
) into the GOP primary by attacking Perry's views on climate change
and evolution
through Twitter
. Huntsman's tweet was reportedly "re-tweeted" over 3,600 times - the most of any GOP presidential candidate. Actor Rainn Wilson
(known for playing Dwight Shrute on The Office) re-tweeted Huntsman's comments and posted his own response: "I believe in man made climate change and I believe in evolution, I just don't believe in gravity."
Huntsman's subsequent media interviews following his seemingly moderate attacks on Perry, as well as Bachmann , reiterated a "Centre-right
" position by Huntsman. On a This Week
interview in August, Huntsman labeled himself as "center right candidate" for a "center right country" and criticized President Obama and his GOP opponents for representing "fringes" on the political spectrum
In early September, Huntsman began shifting campaign resources from Florida to New Hampshire by moving staffers to New Hampshire, giving the Huntsman campaign the largest operational staff in New Hampshire at the time. The development came as the Campaign reorganized New Hampshire operations, firing its campaign manager in charge of the state, Ethan Elion. Elion was replaced by Sarah Crawford Stewart, who had served as state-director of Minnesota
Governor Tim Pawlenty
's New Hampshire campaign before he suspended his bid after the Ames Straw Poll
.
Huntsman received a major endorsement in late-September 2011 in the form of Tom Ridge
, former Governor of Pennsylvania and former Secretary of Homeland Security under George W. Bush
. Ridge appeared with Huntsman at an event at St. Anselm's College in New Hampshire who called Huntsman "the only candidate with demonstrated success at the state, national and international levels." After the endorsement and a series of campaign events in New Hampshire, a Suffolk University
poll showed Huntsman in third place in New Hampshire with 10% of likely voters, behind Mitt Romney
(41%) and Ron Paul
(14%) and ahead of Rick Perry, Michele Bachmann, Sarah Palin
(who had not yet declared an intention of running) and Newt Gingrich
among others. Huntsman has made New Hampshire the focus of his campaign, and has held over 100 campaign events there.
, Fox News, and the Washington Examiner
. Huntsman previously declined to participate in a CNN
-New Hampshire Union Leader
debate held at the campus of St. Anselm College on June 13, 2011.
New Hampshire Officials
South Carolina Officials
Florida Officials
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
(GOP) candidate for the 2012 United States presidential election
United States presidential election, 2012
The United States presidential election of 2012 is the next United States presidential election, to be held on Tuesday, November 6, 2012. It will be the 57th quadrennial presidential election in which presidential electors, who will actually elect the President and the Vice President of the United...
. On May 3, 2011, Huntsman announced his intentions to file a political action committee
Political action committee
In the United States, a political action committee, or PAC, is the name commonly given to a private group, regardless of size, organized to elect political candidates or to advance the outcome of a political issue or legislation. Legally, what constitutes a "PAC" for purposes of regulation is a...
with the Federal Election Commission
Federal Election Commission
The Federal Election Commission is an independent regulatory agency that was founded in 1975 by the United States Congress to regulate the campaign finance legislation in the United States. It was created in a provision of the 1975 amendment to the Federal Election Campaign Act...
(named "H-PAC"). Subsequently, Huntsman announced on June 14, 2011 he was running for President and made an official announcement in Liberty State Park
Liberty State Park
Liberty State Park is located on Upper New York Bay in Jersey City, New Jersey, opposite the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. The park opened in 1976 to coincide with bicentennial celebrations and is operated and maintained by the New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry.-Geography and...
one week later on June 21, 2011.
Huntsman sought to establish himself as an anti-negative
Negative campaigning
Negative campaigning, also known more colloquially as "mudslinging", is trying to win an advantage by referring to negative aspects of an opponent or of a policy rather than emphasizing one's own positive attributes or preferred policies...
candidate and take the "high road." In his announcement, he also stated "I don't think you need to run down someone's reputation in order to run for the office of president."
Background
Huntsman served as Governor of Utah from January 2005 until August 2009. He resigned as Governor during the first year of his second term to serve as United States Ambassador to ChinaUnited States Ambassador to China
The United States Ambassador to China is the chief American diplomat to People's Republic of China . The United States has sent diplomatic representatives to China since 1844, when Caleb Cushing, as Commissioner, negotiated the Treaty of Wanghia. Commissioners represented the United States in...
, a position to which he was appointed by President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
. Speculation of a Huntsman candidacy for the 2012 Republican presidential began circulating in the media as early as 2008 and 2009. In August 2010, a group of political strategists with ties to Huntsman formed a political action committee
Political action committee
In the United States, a political action committee, or PAC, is the name commonly given to a private group, regardless of size, organized to elect political candidates or to advance the outcome of a political issue or legislation. Legally, what constitutes a "PAC" for purposes of regulation is a...
now called "Horizon PAC" that had the resources to provide a framework for launching Huntsman's campaign in the event he chose to run. The PAC was formed in part as an effort to draft
Draft (politics)
In elections in the United States, political drafts are used to encourage or pressure a certain person to enter a political race, by demonstrating a significant groundswell of support for the candidate. A write-in campaign may also be considered a draft campaign.-The movement to draft Dwight D....
Huntsman into seeking the GOP nomination.
In January 2011, Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
published an article entitled "The Manchurian Candidate" which featured an interview with Huntsman. When asked specifically whether he intended to run for president in 2012, Huntsman declined to comment. The article generated significant speculation about a likely Huntsman 2012 presidential bid.
On January 31, 2011, Huntsman submitted his formal resignation from his post as U.S. Ambassador to China. The resignation was to take effect April 30, 2011, and Huntsman indicated his plans to return to the United States by May 2011. This move spurred further widespread speculation of Huntsman making a 2012 Republican presidential bid.
On May 3, 2011, after having left his post as ambassador and having returned to the United States, Huntsman formed an official fundraising political action committee
Political action committee
In the United States, a political action committee, or PAC, is the name commonly given to a private group, regardless of size, organized to elect political candidates or to advance the outcome of a political issue or legislation. Legally, what constitutes a "PAC" for purposes of regulation is a...
, building on the efforts of the previously established Horizon PAC. On May 18, 2011, Huntsman opened his 2012 national campaign headquarters in Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
.
Political positions
Huntsman is a Republican, with conservative fiscal credentials and a mixture of positions on social issues. He has been described as "a conservative technocrat-optimist with moderate positions who was willing to work substantively with President Barack ObamaBarack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
." As governor, Huntsman listed economic development, health-care reform, education, and energy security as his top priorities. He oversaw large tax cuts and advocated reorganizing the way that services were distributed so that the government would not become overwhelmed by the state's fast growing population. He also proposed a plan to reform health-care, mainly through the private sector, by using tax breaks and negotiation to keep prices down.
In a 2008 evaluation of state governors' fiscal policies, the libertarian Cato Institute
Cato Institute
The Cato Institute is a libertarian think tank headquartered in Washington, D.C. It was founded in 1977 by Edward H. Crane, who remains president and CEO, and Charles Koch, chairman of the board and chief executive officer of the conglomerate Koch Industries, Inc., the largest privately held...
praised Huntsman's conservative tax policies, ranking him in a tie for fifth place on overall fiscal policy. He was particularly lauded for his efforts to cut taxes, where he received the highest score on tax policy of all 50 governors. The report specifically highlighted his reductions of the sales tax and simplification of the tax code.
Huntsman has strongly supported civil unions for years but not same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage is marriage between two persons of the same biological sex or social gender. Supporters of legal recognition for same-sex marriage typically refer to such recognition as marriage equality....
. As Utah's Governor, he supported legislation that would have allowed civil unions for same-sex couples in the state. In 2007, in response to the problem of global warming
Global warming
Global warming refers to the rising average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans and its projected continuation. In the last 100 years, Earth's average surface temperature increased by about with about two thirds of the increase occurring over just the last three decades...
, Huntsman signed the Western Climate Initiative
Western Climate Initiative
The Western Climate Initiative, or WCI, is an initiative—started by states and provinces along the western rim of North America—to combat climate change caused by global warming, independent of their national governments....
, by which Utah joined with other governments in agreeing to pursue targets for reduced production of greenhouse gas
Greenhouse gas
A greenhouse gas is a gas in an atmosphere that absorbs and emits radiation within the thermal infrared range. This process is the fundamental cause of the greenhouse effect. The primary greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere are water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone...
es. He also appeared in an advertisement sponsored by Environmental Defense
Environmental Defense
Environmental Defense Fund or EDF is a United States–based nonprofit environmental advocacy group. The group is known for its work on issues including global warming, ecosystem restoration, oceans, and human health...
, in which he said, "Now it's time for Congress to act by capping greenhouse-gas pollution."
On foreign policy, Huntsman has repeatedly stated, "We need to continue working closely with China to convince North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
to abandon its nuclear weapons program." He has also named Taiwan, human rights, and Tibet among the "areas where we have differences with China" and vowed "robust engagement" on human rights.
On August 31, Huntsman made a major policy announcement, calling for, amongst other things such as more aggressive action on completing free trade agreements, a tax policy modeled on the Simpson-Bowles plan, specifically
- elimination of all deductions and credits, in favor of significantly lower general rates, with brackets of 8, 14 and 23 percent
- elimination of the Alternative Minimum TaxAlternative Minimum TaxThe Alternative Minimum Tax is an income tax imposed by the United States federal government on individuals, corporations, estates, and trusts. AMT is imposed at a nearly flat rate on an adjusted amount of taxable income above a certain threshold . This exemption is substantially higher than the...
- elimination of taxes on capital gains and dividends
- lowering the general corporate rate from 35 to 25 percent
Announcement
Huntsman announced his campaign on June 21, 2011 in Liberty State ParkLiberty State Park
Liberty State Park is located on Upper New York Bay in Jersey City, New Jersey, opposite the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. The park opened in 1976 to coincide with bicentennial celebrations and is operated and maintained by the New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry.-Geography and...
with the Statue of Liberty
Statue of Liberty
The Statue of Liberty is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, designed by Frédéric Bartholdi and dedicated on October 28, 1886...
was visibly behind Huntsman while delivering his announcement speech. The location was chosen in homage to President Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
, who launched his own presidential campaign
Ronald Reagan presidential campaign, 1980
Ronald Reagan, the 33rd Governor of California, announced his candidacy for President of the United States in New York City on November 13, 1979. On July 17, 1980, he became the nominee of the Republican Party for the 1980 presidential election. After receiving the Republican nomination, he...
from the same location. Referring to Reagan's announcement, Huntsman remarked in his own speech, "He assured us we could 'make America great again,' and under his leadership we did. I stand in his shadow as well as the shadow of this magnificent monument to our liberty."
In the lead-up to his official announcement, Huntsman gained attention for his campaign's unconventional TV ads, produced by veteran GOP strategist
Political consulting
Political consulting, beyond the self-evident definition of consulting in political matters, refers to a specific management consulting industry which has grown up around advising and assisting political campaigns. This article deals primarily with the development and nature of political consulting...
Fred Davis III
Fred Davis III
Fred Davis III is a U.S. Republican Party media consultant and advertising guru who is best known for creating the Celebrity ad to presidential candidate John McCain and the Demon Sheep ad to the California Senate candidate Carly Fiorina...
, featuring a lone motocross
Motocross
Motocross is a form of motorcycle sport or all-terrain vehicle racing held on enclosed off road circuits. It evolved from trials, and was called scrambles, and later motocross, combining the French moto with cross-country...
rider traveling through rugged terrain as cheesy music plays in the background, while quirky facts about Huntsman appear on the screen. These ads were widely parodied, including by the Utah Democratic Party
Utah Democratic Party
The Utah State Democratic Party works to elect Democrats to office in the state of Utah. The Utah Democratic Party, like other national, state, and county parties, maintains a party platform that lists general principles or issues of importance to members of the Utah Democratic Party and maintains...
and former Senator Rick Santorum's campaign
Rick Santorum presidential campaign, 2012
Former Senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania began a campaign for the 2012 Republican Party nomination for president of the United States in April 2011...
.
A notable gaffe made by the Huntsman campaign in the moments before the announcement speech was misspelled press passes distributed to reporters on hand to cover the announcement which read "John Huntsman for President", erroneously adding an extra "H" to Huntsman's name. Aides reportedly scrambled in an effort to cease the distribution of the misspelled passes. Due to wind patterns that day, the American flags located behind the dais Huntsman was standing on appeared to be blowing in the wrong direction relative to where the spectators were.
Staff
Susie Wiles, who ran Rick Scott's successful 2010 gubernatorial campaign in FloridaFlorida gubernatorial election, 2010
The 2010 Florida gubernatorial election took place on November 2, 2010. Incumbent Governor Charlie Crist chose not to run for a second term and instead ran for the Senate seat vacated by Mel Martinez. This resulted in an open race for Governor of Florida...
, worked first as executive director of H-PAC and then as Huntsman's campaign manager. Her appointment dovetailed with Huntsman's strategic emphasis on winning the early Florida primary. She resigned on July 21, 2011, stating, "I signed up to get it started. It’s like a phase. This morning I said it’s time to move on." She went on to explain that she had never intended to stay on with the campaign indefinitely, but instead had plans "to resume [her] life and get home." Wiles stated her intention to continue to be a "friend and confidante of Huntsman." Matt David, previously the campaign's communications director, replaced Wiles as campaign manager.
The campaign hired Neil Ashdown, chief of staff to Huntsman when he was Utah governor and U.S. ambassador to China, as deputy campaign manager. Conyers Davis, who worked with former California Governor
Governor of California
The Governor of California is the chief executive of the California state government, whose responsibilities include making annual State of the State addresses to the California State Legislature, submitting the budget, and ensuring that state laws are enforced...
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-American former professional bodybuilder, actor, businessman, investor, and politician. Schwarzenegger served as the 38th Governor of California from 2003 until 2011....
and David Cameron
David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. Cameron represents Witney as its Member of Parliament ....
's Conservative Party was hired as campaign operations director. Matt David served as the campaign's first communications director, before replacing Wiles as campaign manager, with Jake Suski as deputy communications director and Tim Miller serving as Huntsman's spokesperson. Kris Anderson is leading research for the campaign, with Shawn Reinschmiedt and Dan Comstock's M Street Insight doing research consulting work.
In mid-June 2011, C. Boyden Gray
C. Boyden Gray
Clayland Boyden Gray is a former American diplomat and public servant. He is a member of the board of directors at the Atlantic Council and at The European Institute....
joined the Huntsman team as policy chair. Gray served as White House Counsel to President George H. W. Bush
George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...
and EU Ambassador under George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
. In early July 2011, Mark McIntosh was appointed as the Huntsman campaign's policy director. McIntosh had been working as counsel on energy and natural resource issues at Boyden Gray & Associates, and he previously served as Deputy General Counsel for the White House Council on Environmental Quality under President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
.
John Weaver
John Weaver (political consultant)
John Weaver is an American political consultant best known for his work on the John McCain presidential campaigns of 2000 and 2008. In between, he worked for a time for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.-Biography:...
is serving as Huntsman's chief political strategist, with Fred Davis
Fred Davis III
Fred Davis III is a U.S. Republican Party media consultant and advertising guru who is best known for creating the Celebrity ad to presidential candidate John McCain and the Demon Sheep ad to the California Senate candidate Carly Fiorina...
as a key media strategist in charge of developing Huntsman's online web videos and branding efforts.
Fundraising
A day after announcing his campaign for President, Huntsman raised $1.2 million Huntsman raised approximately $4.1 million in the first weeks of his candidacy. Huntsman, who has a net-worth speculated to be between $11 million and $74 million, was reported to have contributed "less than half" of his campaign's $4.1 million haul. Before his entry into the race, Huntsman was adamant about avoiding self-financing a campaign, stating "Unless you can raise it legitimately, you're not going to win". However, Huntsman stated he would contribute in order to "prime the pump" during a campaign visit in South CarolinaSouth Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
. Huntsman and fellow Republican contender Mitt Romney
Mitt Romney
Willard Mitt Romney is an American businessman and politician. He was the 70th Governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007 and is a candidate for the 2012 Republican Party presidential nomination.The son of George W...
have been sparring over many of the same donors, named "Moderate Donors" for their political leanings by MSNBC. Utah World Trade Center President Lew Cramer switched his endorsement (and contributed) to Huntsman from Romney. In addition, Morgan Stanley
Morgan Stanley
Morgan Stanley is a global financial services firm headquartered in New York City serving a diversified group of corporations, governments, financial institutions, and individuals. Morgan Stanley also operates in 36 countries around the world, with over 600 offices and a workforce of over 60,000....
chairman John Mack has donated to the Huntsman campaign.
With no obligation to do so due to his late entry into the race, the Huntsman Campaign agreed not to file FEC paperwork for the Second Quarter of 2011 ending on June 30, 2011 as reported by the ABC.
In September, Huntsman reportedly contributed $500,000 to his campaign in order to make payroll.
Campaign Developments 2011
Huntsman was scheduled to speak, but canceled, at the Republican Leadership ConferenceRepublican Leadership Conference
The Republican Leadership Conference is a political event held in the Southern United States before each presidential election. The event is attended by Republican Party activists, elected officials, and candidates for office. It was formerly known as the Southern Republican Leadership Conference...
held in New Orleans in June 2011. He finished second in the annual presidential straw-poll with 25% of the vote behind Ron Paul
Ron Paul
Ronald Ernest "Ron" Paul is an American physician, author and United States Congressman who is seeking to be the Republican Party candidate in the 2012 presidential election. Paul represents Texas's 14th congressional district, which covers an area south and southwest of Houston that includes...
(41%) and ahead of Michele Bachmann
Michele Bachmann
Michele Marie Bachmann is a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives, representing , a post she has held since 2007. The district includes several of the northern suburbs of the Twin Cities, such as Woodbury, and Blaine as well as Stillwater and St. Cloud.She is currently a...
(13%)
Huntsman gained media attention when he responded to entrance of Rick Perry
Rick Perry
James Richard "Rick" Perry is the 47th and current Governor of Texas. A Republican, Perry was elected Lieutenant Governor of Texas in 1998 and assumed the governorship in December 2000 when then-governor George W. Bush resigned to become President of the United States. Perry was elected to full...
(R
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
-TX
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
) into the GOP primary by attacking Perry's views on climate change
Climate change
Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average...
and evolution
Evolution
Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
through Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
. Huntsman's tweet was reportedly "re-tweeted" over 3,600 times - the most of any GOP presidential candidate. Actor Rainn Wilson
Rainn Wilson
Rainn Dietrich Wilson is an American actor and comedian. He is primarily known for his role as the egomaniacal Dwight Schrute on the American version of the television comedy The Office...
(known for playing Dwight Shrute on The Office) re-tweeted Huntsman's comments and posted his own response: "I believe in man made climate change and I believe in evolution, I just don't believe in gravity."
Huntsman's subsequent media interviews following his seemingly moderate attacks on Perry, as well as Bachmann , reiterated a "Centre-right
Centre-right
The centre-right or center-right is a political term commonly used to describe or denote individuals, political parties, or organizations whose views stretch from the centre to the right on the left-right spectrum, excluding far right stances. Centre-right can also describe a coalition of centrist...
" position by Huntsman. On a This Week
This Week (ABC TV series)
This Week is ABC's Sunday morning political affairs program.The Sunday morning talk show has aired on Sunday mornings on ABC since 1981; the program is initially aired at 9:00 AM ET, although many stations air the program later, especially those in other time zones...
interview in August, Huntsman labeled himself as "center right candidate" for a "center right country" and criticized President Obama and his GOP opponents for representing "fringes" on the political spectrum
Political spectrum
A political spectrum is a way of modeling different political positions by placing them upon one or more geometric axes symbolizing independent political dimensions....
In early September, Huntsman began shifting campaign resources from Florida to New Hampshire by moving staffers to New Hampshire, giving the Huntsman campaign the largest operational staff in New Hampshire at the time. The development came as the Campaign reorganized New Hampshire operations, firing its campaign manager in charge of the state, Ethan Elion. Elion was replaced by Sarah Crawford Stewart, who had served as state-director of Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
Governor Tim Pawlenty
Tim Pawlenty
Timothy James "Tim" Pawlenty , also known affectionately among supporters as T-Paw, is an American politician who served as the 39th Governor of Minnesota . He was a Republican candidate for President of the United States in the 2012 election from May to August 2011...
's New Hampshire campaign before he suspended his bid after the Ames Straw Poll
Ames Straw Poll
The Ames Straw Poll is a presidential straw poll taken by Iowa Republicans. It occurs in Ames, Iowa on the campus of Iowa State University, on a Saturday in August of years in an election cycle in which the Republican presidential nomination seems to be undecided...
.
Huntsman received a major endorsement in late-September 2011 in the form of Tom Ridge
Tom Ridge
Thomas Joseph "Tom" Ridge is an American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives , the 43rd Governor of Pennsylvania , Assistant to the President for Homeland Security , and the first United States Secretary of Homeland Security...
, former Governor of Pennsylvania and former Secretary of Homeland Security under George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
. Ridge appeared with Huntsman at an event at St. Anselm's College in New Hampshire who called Huntsman "the only candidate with demonstrated success at the state, national and international levels." After the endorsement and a series of campaign events in New Hampshire, a Suffolk University
Suffolk University
Suffolk University is a private, non-sectarian, university located in Boston, Massachusetts and with over 16,000 students it is the third largest university in Boston...
poll showed Huntsman in third place in New Hampshire with 10% of likely voters, behind Mitt Romney
Mitt Romney
Willard Mitt Romney is an American businessman and politician. He was the 70th Governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007 and is a candidate for the 2012 Republican Party presidential nomination.The son of George W...
(41%) and Ron Paul
Ron Paul
Ronald Ernest "Ron" Paul is an American physician, author and United States Congressman who is seeking to be the Republican Party candidate in the 2012 presidential election. Paul represents Texas's 14th congressional district, which covers an area south and southwest of Houston that includes...
(14%) and ahead of Rick Perry, Michele Bachmann, Sarah Palin
Sarah Palin
Sarah Louise Palin is an American politician, commentator and author. As the Republican Party nominee for Vice President in the 2008 presidential election, she was the first Alaskan on the national ticket of a major party and first Republican woman nominated for the vice-presidency.She was...
(who had not yet declared an intention of running) and Newt Gingrich
Newt Gingrich
Newton Leroy "Newt" Gingrich is a U.S. Republican Party politician who served as the House Minority Whip from 1989 to 1995 and as the 58th Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995 to 1999....
among others. Huntsman has made New Hampshire the focus of his campaign, and has held over 100 campaign events there.
Debates
Huntsman participated in his first presidential debate on August 11, 2011, in Iowa. The debate was co-sponsored by the Republican Party of IowaRepublican Party of Iowa
The Republican Party of Iowa is the affiliate of the United States Republican Party in Iowa. The State Central Committee is led by Chairman Matt Strawn and Co-Chairman Bill Schickel...
, Fox News, and the Washington Examiner
Washington Examiner
The Washington Examiner is a free daily newspaper published in Springfield, Virginia, and distributed in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. It is owned by Denver billionaire Philip Anschutz....
. Huntsman previously declined to participate in a CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
-New Hampshire Union Leader
New Hampshire Union Leader
The New Hampshire Union Leader is the daily newspaper of Manchester, the largest city in the state of New Hampshire. As of September 2010 it had a daily circulation of 48,342 and the circulation of its Sunday paper, the New Hampshire Sunday News, was 63,991. It was founded in 1863.It was called...
debate held at the campus of St. Anselm College on June 13, 2011.
Endorsements
Huntsman has received endorsements from:- Tom RidgeTom RidgeThomas Joseph "Tom" Ridge is an American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives , the 43rd Governor of Pennsylvania , Assistant to the President for Homeland Security , and the first United States Secretary of Homeland Security...
, Former United States Secretary of Homeland Security under George W. BushGeorge W. BushGeorge Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
(2003-2005), former Governor of PennsylvaniaPennsylvaniaThe Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, and former Congressman. - Alan WilsonAlan Wilson (South Carolina politician)Alan McCrory Wilson is an American attorney and politician, currently serving as the 51st Attorney General of South Carolina. He is a member of the Republican party.-Early Life and education:...
, Attorney General of South Carolina and son of United States RepresentativeUnited States House of RepresentativesThe United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
Joe WilsonJoe Wilson (U.S. politician)Addison Graves Wilson, Sr., most commonly known as Joe Wilson , is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2001. He is a member of the Republican Party... - Henry McMasterHenry McMasterHenry Dargan McMaster is South Carolina's Republican attorney general, having been first elected on November 5, 2002. He was a unsuccessful candidate for the GOP nomination in the 2010 South Carolina gubernatorial election.- Biography :McMaster received a bachelor's degree in history from the...
, Former Attorney General of South Carolina (2003-2011)
New Hampshire Officials
- Stewart Lamprey, former New Hampshire state Senate President, former House speaker
- David Currier, former State Senator
- Julie Brown, State Representative for StraffordStrafford County, New Hampshire-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 112,233 people, 42,581 households, and 27,762 families residing in the county. The population density was 304 people per square mile . There were 45,539 housing units at an average density of 124 per square mile...
District 1 since 1988 - Jim Waddell, Representative for RockinghamRockingham County, New Hampshire-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 277,359 people, 104,529 households, and 74,320 families residing in the county. The population density was 399 people per square mile . There were 113,023 housing units at an average density of 163 per square mile...
District 15. - Adam Schroadter, Representative for Rockingham District 12.
- Rick Ladd Jr., Representative for GraftonGrafton County, New HampshireGrafton County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. As of the 2010 census, the population was 89,118. Its county seat is North Haverhill, which is a village within the town of Haverhill. Until 1972, the county courthouse and other offices were located in downtown Woodsville, a...
District 5. - David Knox, Representative for CarrollCarroll County, New Hampshire-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 43,666 people, 18,351 households, and 12,313 families residing in the county. The population density was 18/km² . There were 34,750 housing units at an average density of 14/km²...
District 4 - Jeff St. Cyr., Representative for BelknapBelknap County, New Hampshire-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 56,325 people, 22,459 households, and 15,496 families residing in the county. The population density was 140 people per square mile . There were 32,121 housing units at an average density of 80 per square mile...
District 5. - Nancy Stiles, State Senator for RockinghamRockingham County, New Hampshire-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 277,359 people, 104,529 households, and 74,320 families residing in the county. The population density was 399 people per square mile . There were 113,023 housing units at an average density of 163 per square mile...
District 15
South Carolina Officials
- John E. CoursonJohn E. CoursonJohn E. Courson is a Republican member of the South Carolina Senate, representing the 20th District since 1985.-External links:* official SC Senate website* profile*Follow the Money - John E. Courson** campaign contributions...
, Republican State SenatorSouth Carolina SenateThe South Carolina Senate is the upper house of the South Carolina General Assembly, the lower house being the South Carolina House of Representatives...
from South Carolina's 20th District
Florida Officials
- Ellyn Setnor BogdanoffEllyn Setnor BogdanoffEllyn Setnor Bogdanoff is a Representative in the House of Representatives of the U.S. state of Florida. She received her Bachelors degree from the University of Florida in 1980. She lives in Fort Lauderdale, Florida with her family.Sen. Bogdanoff voted in favor of legislation prohibiting doctors...
, State SenatorFlorida SenateThe Florida Senate is the upper house of the Florida Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida. The Senate is composed of 40 members representing an equal number of districts, with each district having an average population of 470,032....
from Fort LauderdaleFort Lauderdale, FloridaFort Lauderdale is a city in the U.S. state of Florida, on the Atlantic coast. It is the county seat of Broward County. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 165,521. It is a principal city of the South Florida metropolitan area, which was home to 5,564,635 people at the 2010...
, FloridaFloridaFlorida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it... - Jim Cason, MayorMayorIn many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Coral GablesCoral Gables, FloridaCoral Gables is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, southwest of Downtown Miami, in the United States. The city is home to the University of Miami....
, FloridaFloridaFlorida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it... - Ana Navarro, Director of Immigration policy for Gov. Jeb BushJeb BushJohn Ellis "Jeb" Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd Governor of Florida from 1999 to 2007. He is a prominent member of the Bush family: the second son of former President George H. W. Bush and former First Lady Barbara Bush; the younger brother of former President George W...
and Ambassador to the United Nations Human Rights Commission
- Mike Campbell, South Carolina campaign chair for Huckabee CampaignMike Huckabee presidential campaign, 2008Mike Huckabee, former Governor of Arkansas, announced his candidacy for the Republican Party nomination for the 2008 presidential election in the United States on January 28, 2007...
in 2008. and son of late Governor Carroll CampbellCarroll A. Campbell, Jr.Carroll Ashmore Campbell, Jr. was a U.S. Republican Party politician who served as 112th Governor of South Carolina from 1987 to 1995.-Early life:He was born in Greenville, South Carolina, the oldest of six children... - Rob Wasinger, Campaign Manager for Brownback Campaign in 2008.
- Max Eden, Co-founder of "Students for Daniels" which had encouraged Mitch DanielsMitch DanielsMitchell Elias "Mitch" Daniels, Jr. is the 49th and current Governor of the U.S. state of Indiana. A Republican, he began his first four-year term as governor on January 10, 2005, and was elected to his second term by an 18-point margin on November 4, 2008. Previously, he was the Director of the...
to run for President (before he decided against a bid). - Michael Knowles, co-founder of "Students for Daniels"
- Lew Cramer, President of Utah World Trade Center
- John J. MackJohn J. MackJohn J. Mack is the current Chairman of the Board at Morgan Stanley, the New York-based investment bank and brokerage firm. Mack announced his retirement as Chief Executive Officer on September 10, 2009, which was effective January 1, 2010. Former Co-President James P...
, Chairman of Morgan StanleyMorgan StanleyMorgan Stanley is a global financial services firm headquartered in New York City serving a diversified group of corporations, governments, financial institutions, and individuals. Morgan Stanley also operates in 36 countries around the world, with over 600 offices and a workforce of over 60,000....
- Craig Haffner, Broadway and television producer
- Jeb Bush, Jr., son of former Florida Governor Jeb BushJeb BushJohn Ellis "Jeb" Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd Governor of Florida from 1999 to 2007. He is a prominent member of the Bush family: the second son of former President George H. W. Bush and former First Lady Barbara Bush; the younger brother of former President George W...
and nephew of former PresidentPresident of the United StatesThe President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
George W. BushGeorge W. BushGeorge Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
External links
- Jon Huntsman for President official site
- Horizon PAC
- Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election CommissionFederal Election CommissionThe Federal Election Commission is an independent regulatory agency that was founded in 1975 by the United States Congress to regulate the campaign finance legislation in the United States. It was created in a provision of the 1975 amendment to the Federal Election Campaign Act...
- Financial information at OpenSecrets.org
- Biography at the United States Department of StateUnited States Department of StateThe United States Department of State , is the United States federal executive department responsible for international relations of the United States, equivalent to the foreign ministries of other countries...
(archived) - Michael Brendan Dougherty, Jon Huntsman, the No-Drama Conservative, The American ConservativeThe American ConservativeThe American Conservative is a monthly U.S. opinion magazine published by Ron Unz. Its first editor was Scott McConnell, his successors being Kara Hopkins and the present incumbent, Daniel McCarthy....
, August 24, 2011