Ex-Utah Governor Announces Candidacy: Why Jon Huntsman Can’t Win

Add to the already large field of Republican Presidential contenders former Utah Governor and U.S. Ambassador to China  Jon Huntsman, who announced his running in a press conference earlier today.  I use the term “contender” lightly here, as Huntsman has a lot working against him on his journey to the nomination:

• For starters, he has entered the game late: While 16 months until the general sounds like a long time, think about the name recognition and monetary advantages the candidates who announced their running earlier will have over Huntsman as they move forward.  He’s basically starting from scratch and is facing little-to-no fanfare along the way.
• “Remarkable Leader”gate: While I certainly don’t cite this as a personal game-changer, most conservatives are not going to be quick to forgive and forget when it comes to Huntsman’s calling Barack a “remarkable leader”.  In most conservative circles (mine not included), putting Obama’s name along with any term of endearment is a major party foul.
• He’s not conservative enough: That’s not to say he’s at all liberal; in fact, on most issues that matter, Huntsman’s view is right on point.  On some social and environmental issues, however, most conservative and Tea Party voters aren’t going to be impressed.  He supported a form of cap-and-trade before he backtracked against it and he’s spoken in favor of a mandate on health insurance.
• Moderates aren’t in-season: Huntsman likely would have been welcomed with open arms and open wallets just 3 years ago for the 2008 election, but a lot has changed since then.  Republican voters are by and large looking for a conservative candidate; both socially and fiscally.  While Huntsman would likely fare quite well on the national stage with strong moderate and independent appeal, he’s going to have an impossibly steep climb to the Republican nomination.

Despite a level-headed demeanor and sharp political savvy, Huntsman will likely never have the chance to show is true colors on a national stage.  Quite frankly he would stand a better general election chance than several Republican primary front-runners, but the field is simply too large for someone who isn’t already in the spotlight to overcome the obstacles.  Try again Jon, maybe next time.

Announcement Speech:

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Thanks for reading!

Rick

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