2012 Presidential Campaign Blog

Message by Jon Huntsman on his Campaign's Splash Page (And sent by e-mail)

The Most Important Election Of Our Lifetime

Friends –

2012 is the most important election in our lifetime.

After three years of bigger government, higher taxes and more spending, America desperately needs a return to conservative principles: limited government, lower taxes and balanced budgets.

On the campaign trail, I have spoken often about the need to fix not only our nation’s economic deficit, but also our deficit of trust and unity.

America is more divided than ever, and for our nation to move forward together with new leadership and unite, the Republican Party must first unite.

Today I am suspending my campaign and supporting the candidate who is best-equipped to defeat the president and return conservative leadership to the White House: Governor Mitt Romney.

To our many supporters and volunteers, I offer my heartfelt thanks. Mary Kaye and I are equally humbled and amazed at the outpouring of support we’ve received from friends and complete strangers.

Today our campaign for the presidency ends, but our campaign to build a better and brighter America continues.

We will continue to fight for a tax code that unleashes opportunity rather than stifles it; an energy policy that ends our addiction to foreign oil; congressional term limits; education reform that prepares our kids for the 21st Century; and financial reform that protects taxpayers from future bailouts.

Over the last six months, I have seen the best of America. I’ve seen it in the spirit of our entrepreneurs, the courage of our veterans, and the unyielding optimism of our young people. I saw it in China 10,000 miles away, meeting with dissidents who had been tortured and beaten, but who drew strength from our nation's values -- our openness, our freedoms.

Half a world away, they could see America's light. That is the power our country still represents.

I will never stop fighting for America, and I will continue to put her welfare first, ahead of any partisan or special interest.

I am unshaken in my belief that with the right leadership, we can move forward together, and ensure that America’s light shines bright for generations and generations to come.

God bless you, and God bless America.

Jon Huntsman

Jon Huntsman for President Announces Revised Schedule Details For January 16, 2012

Jon Huntsman for President Announces Revised Schedule Details For January 16

Columbia, SC – Jon Huntsman for President today released the following revised schedule for Gov. Huntsman on Monday, January 16.

Monday, January 16

11:00 a.m. – Governor Huntsman Will Deliver Remarks Myrtle Beach Convention Center Room 202 2101 N Oak St Myrtle Beach, SC 29577

*3:00 pm and 9:00 pm events have been removed from the schedule.

South Carolina Newspaper "The State" Endorses Jon Huntsman

In Case You Missed It: Huntsman Could Bring Us Back Together
January 15, 2012
TheState.com - Editorial
...

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. 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.

He also is head and shoulders above the field on foreign policy. He served as President George H.W. Bush’s U.S. ambassador to Singapore and President George W. Bush’s deputy U.S. trade representative and U.S. trade ambassador, and the next entry on that resume is even more impressive: He was a popular and successful governor in an extremely conservative state, well positioned to become a leading 2012 presidential contender, when Mr. Obama asked him to serve in arguably our nation’s most important diplomatic post, U.S. ambassador to China. It could be political suicide, but he didn’t hesitate. As he told our editorial board: “When the president asks you to serve, you serve.”

We don’t agree with all of Mr. Huntsman’s positions; for but one example, he championed one of the nation’s biggest private-school voucher programs. And with George Will calling him the most conservative candidate and The Wall Street Journal editorial page endorsing his tax plan, independent voters might find less to like about his positions than, say, Mr. Romney’s or Newt Gingrich’s.

What makes him attractive are the essential values that drive his candidacy: honor and old-fashioned decency and pragmatism. As he made clear Wednesday to a room packed full of USC students on the first stop of his “Country First” tour, his goal is to rebuild trust in government, and that means abandoning the invective and reestablishing the political center.

Don’t expect him to engage in meaningless hyperbole or apologize for his occasional moderate positions. As he explained recently: “We have to draw from ideas that are doable and not so outlandishly stupid that they create a lot of political infighting and finger-pointing and never, ever in a thousand years are going to get done.” And don’t expect him to spout ridiculous superlatives about the existential threat the incumbent poses to our nation; President Obama simply has failed to lead or has led in the wrong direction, he argues.

Why on earth would we want a candidate to say anything worse about his opponent? Explain why he’s wrong, and why you’re right, and let the voters choose.

We need a president who can work within our poisonous political environment to solve our nation’s problems, not simply score partisan points. Someone who understands that negotiation is essential in a representative democracy, and that there are good ideas across the political spectrum. Someone who has a well-defined set of core values but is not so rigid that he ignores new information and new conditions. Someone who has shown himself to be honest and trustworthy. And competent. Someone whose positions are well-reasoned and based on the world as it is rather than as he pretends it to be. Someone with the temperament and judgment and experience to be taken seriously as the commander in chief and leader of the free world.

We think Mr. Romney could demonstrate those characteristics. Mr. Huntsman already does. And we are proud to endorse him for the Republican nomination for president of the United States.

Jon Huntsman for President South Carolina Schedule For January 15-16, 2012

Jon Huntsman for President Announces Schedule Details For January 15 - January 16

Columbia, SC – Jon Huntsman for President today announced the following events for Gov. Huntsman on Sunday, January 15 and Monday, January 16.

Sunday, January 15

     11:45 am – Lunch at Virginia’s on King
                        412 King Street
                        Charleston, SC
                        *No media avail. Photo op only*

Monday, January 16

     11:00 a.m. – Governor Huntsman will give speech on trust and the broken
                          politics of Washington, DC
                          Myrtle Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau
                          1200 North Oak Street, Myrtle Beach

     3:00 pm – Participate in focus group with Frank Luntz and cafemom.com
                      Fresh Brewed Coffee House
                      933 Broadway Street, Myrtle Beach

     9:00 pm – FOX / SCGOP Debate
                      Myrtle Beach Convention Center

Jon Huntsman for President Announces Revised Schedule Details For January 16
Columbia, SC – Jon Huntsman for President today released the following revised schedule for Gov. Huntsman on Monday, January 16.

Monday, January 16

     11:00 a.m. – Governor Huntsman Will Deliver Remarks
                            Myrtle Beach Convention Center
                            Room 202
                            2101 N Oak St  Myrtle Beach, SC 29577

     *3:00 pm and 9:00 pm events have been removed from the schedule.

Jon Huntsman for President South Carolina Schedule For January 14, 2012

Jon Huntsman for President Announces Schedule Details For January 14, 2012

Columbia, SC – January 13, 2012 – Jon Huntsman for President today announced the following two events for Gov. Huntsman on Saturday, January 14.

     Noon - 2012 Presidential Forum with Gov. Mike Huckabee
                and Congressman Tim Scott
                Sottile Theater, College of Charleston
                44 George Street
                Charleston, SC

     5:00 pm - Gov. Huntsman holds a Hilton Head Town Hall
                    Skull Creek Boathouse
                    397 Squire Pope Road
                    Hilton Head Island, SC

Jon Huntsman for President Announces Additional Details of "Restoring Trust" Tour - January 10, 2012

Jon Huntsman for President Announces Additional Details of "Restoring Trust" Tour - Jan. 10

Manchester – Jon Huntsman for President today announced the additional details of Governor Huntsman's "Restoring Trust" tour in New Hampshire for Primary Day, January 10th.

Tuesday, January 10th:

     Noon – Drops by Manchester, Ward 1 Polling Place
                     Manchester-Ward 1 – Webster School
                     2519 Elm Street
                     Manchester, NH

The Election Night Party will be held at The Black Brimmer in Manchester, NH on January 10th.

     Jon Huntsman Election Night Party
                     The Black Brimmer
                     1087 Elm St
                     Manchester, NH

Governor Jon Huntsman To Kick Off “Country First” Tour This Week In South Carolina January 11-12, 2012

Governor Jon Huntsman To Kick Off “Country First” Tour This Week In South Carolina

Columbia, SC – Jon Huntsman for President today announced details of Governor Huntsman's "Country First" tour in South Carolina, which will kick off beginning January 11th.

Details for Wednesday, January 11th and Thursday, January 12th, are below. Additional details will be forthcoming:

Wednesday, January 11th:

     3:00 PM – Holds Town Hall at University of South Carolina Business Hall of Fame
                     Moore School of Business (Business Administration Bldg)
                     1705 College Street, 8th Floor
                     Columbia, South Carolina

     7:00 PM – Holds Town Hall in North Charleston
                     North Charleston City Council Chambers
                     2500 City Hall Lane
                     North Charleston, South Carolina

Thursday, January 12th:

     8:30 AM – Attends breakfast hosted by the Berkeley County GOP
                     Honeycomb Cafe
                     162 Seven Farms Dr.
                     Daniel Island, South Carolina

Jon Huntsman for President Releases New Television Ad In New Hampshire Titled, "Country First"

NEW HUNTSMAN AD: COUNTRY FIRST

Manchester - Jon Huntsman for President released a new television ad that will air in New Hampshire today and tomorrow titled, "Country First." The ad features the clip from yesterday's debate where Gov. Huntsman objects to Mitt Romney's craven attacks on his service to country.

Last night, the campaign raised over $100,000 in a fundraising drive to get this ad on the air.

Huntsman spokesman Tim Miller issued the following statement:

"This final ad before the New Hampshire Primary starkly outlines the fundamental difference in this race: Mitt Romney always puts politics first, while Jon Huntsman puts his country first."

JHFP TV Ad -- "Country First"
RELEASED-- 1/9/12
TRT -- 60 seconds
LINK -- http://www.youtube.com/jon2012hq#p/a/u/0/zet8ZGXmjj4

HUNTSMAN: This nation is divided, David, because of attitudes like that.

(APPPLAUSE)

HUNTSMAN: Let me say, first are all, with respect to Governor Romney, you know, there are a lot of people who are tuning in this morning, and I’m sure they’re terribly confused after watching all of this political spin up here.

I was criticized last night by Governor Romney for putting my country first. And I just want to remind the people here in New Hampshire and throughout the United States that I think...

(APPLAUSE)

HUNTSMAN: He criticized me while he was out raising money for serving my country in China, yes, under a Democrat, like my two sons are doing in the United States Navy. They’re not asking who -- what political affiliation the president is.

HUNTSMAN: I want to be very clear with the people here in New Hampshire and this country: I will always put my country first. And I think that’s important to them.

(APPLAUSE)

CHYRON: A LEADER TO UNITE AMERICA, RESTORE TRUST & DEFEAT OBAMA

What They Are Saying About Jon Huntsman's Debate Performance #nbcfbdebate

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING ABOUT JON HUNTSMAN’S DEBATE PERFORMANCE

NBC News’ “First Read” Blog: “Huntsman’s strong performance: It came during the 15th debate of the GOP campaign, but Huntsman delivered perhaps his strongest debate performance of the cycle. He summed up the rationale for his candidacy when he said he wanted to unify the country and restore trust.” (Chuck Todd, et al, “First Thoughts: Rivals Pile On Romney,” NBC News’ “First Read” Blog, 1/8/12)

The Washington Post’s “The Fix” Blog On Huntsman’s Winning Performance: “Huntsman’s best moment in any debate came when he pushed back on Romney’s bashing over his service in the Obama Administration — noting that he has and always will put country first.” (Chris Cillizza, “New Hampshire GOP Debate(s): Winners And Losers,” The Washington Post’s “The Fix” Blog, 1/8/12)

American Spectator’s Aaron Goldstein: “Jon Huntsman - I think this was his best debate. His answers were full of sobriety instead of snark. The highlight of his debate was his exchange with Romney over his service as Ambassador to China. … [I] have a feeling Huntsman will exceed expectations in New Hampshire.” (Aaron Goldstein, “NBC Meet The Press NH GOP Debate Post-Mortem,” American Spectator’s “The Spectacle” Blog, 1/8/12)

Human Events’ Tony Lee: “Huntsman should be proud of himself after this debate. He may be moderate on some issues, but he's honest. He's not a phony.” (Tony Lee Twitter Feed, twitter.com, 1/8/12)

Buzz Feed’s Zeke Miller’s Gives Gov. Huntsman Highest Grade Of All Candidates For Debate Performance: “A-” (Zeke Miller Twitter Feed, twitter.com, 1/8/12)

The Salt Lake Tribune Headline: “Huntsman Hits Romney Back Over Putting ‘Country First’” (Thomas Burr, “Huntsman Hits Romney Back Over Putting ‘Country First’,” The Salt Lake Tribune, 1/8/12)

New York Magazine’s John Heilemann On Debate Attacks From Ron Paul Campaign: “The Paul people are really concerned that Jon Huntsman is rising and that he poses a threat to Paul’s standing…” (MSNBC’s “Post Debate Analysis,” 1/8/12)

MSNBC’s Chris Matthews: “He was able to score tonight with that wonderful retort to Romney, the front runner. … It was chilling. It was a line almost right out of the McCarthy hearings. One of those great retorts.” (MSNBC’s “Post Debate Analysis,” 1/8/12)

The Washington Post’s Aaron Blake: “Shocking poll numbers from our live blog: 51 percent think Huntsman winning the debate, just 3 percent say Paul #paulitessleepin?” (Aaron Blake Twitter Feed, twitter.com, 1/08/2012)

Nate Silver, NY Times: "Debate grades, this time with all 6 candidates: Huntsman A, Santorum A-, Paul B, Perry B, Gingrich B-, Romney B-" (Nate Silver Twitter feed, twitter.com, 1/8/12)

NBC News’s Jo Ling Kent: “I've watched Huntsman ever step of the way. This is his best debate - and the one where he has got the most speaking time by far.” (Jo Ling Kent Twitter Feed, twitter.com, 1/8/12)

Daily Beast’s Holly Bailey: “Huntsman's last answer is the best closing campaign ad he could give here in NH.” (Holly Bailey Twitter Feed, twitter.com, 1/8/12)

Eisenhower Institute’s Jennifer Donahue On Which Candidate Can Challenge Ron Paul: “If anybody can, it's Jon Huntsman. He’s coming across as authentic. He’s coming across as an outsider.” (MSNBC’s “Post Debate Analysis,” 1/8/12)

The Washington Post’s Jonathan Capehart: “Huntsman is winning the applause primary.” (Jonathan Capehart Twitter Feed, twitter.com, 1/8/12)

Politico’s Jonathan Martin: “Hunts had some good moments. Nicely timed going into Tues. And sorta a fun little implicit jab at McCain by ref'ing ‘country first’” (Jonathan Martin Twitter Feed, twitter.com, 1/8/12)

American Enterprise Institute’s James Pethokoukis: “Huntsman: trust, Utah record (flat tax, pro-biz climate), county first” (James Pethokoukis Twitter Feed, twitter.com, 1/8/12)

National Journal’s Jill Lawrence: “Huntsman trifecta: I served my country, just as my sons are doing now in military, while Romney was raising money” (Jill Lawrence Twitter Feed, twitter.com, 1/8/12)

Jon Huntsman for President Campaign Manager Matt David Statement on This Morning's NBC/Facebook Debate in New Hampshire

Jon Huntsman Wins Final New Hampshire Debate

Manchester, NH -- After this morning's NBC/Facebook debate, Huntsman campaign manager Matt David issued the following statement:

"The fundamental difference in this campaign is that Governor Huntsman puts country first, and Mitt Romney puts politics first. Governor Huntsman has served his country under four presidents, while Mitt Romney has changed positions on nearly every major issue of the last two decades.

"Jon Huntsman won this morning's debate in Concord by distinguishing himself to voters in New Hampshire and around the nation that he is the leader who can unify the American people, renew trust in their elected leaders, fix our economy, and move our country forward."