Iowa secretary of state Matt Schultz blasts Jon Huntsman for ignoring Iowa:
Iowans look forward to the opportunity to hear Mr. Huntsman’s vision for America. We will listen to him explain his support for Cap and Trade. We will listen to him explain why he took more than one billion dollars in federal stimulus money. We will listen to him explain why he wants to replace his former boss, Barack Obama. We will listen to him explain why he is distancing himself from his Mormon faith. Mr. Huntsman should know that Iowans elected me as their Secretary of State and my Mormon faith was never an issue.
Huntsman has cited his opposition to ethanol subsidies as a reason he’d forgo the Iowa caucuses. But Tim Pawlenty, who has been actively courting Iowans, has also come out against ethanol subsidies. Iowa GOP senator Chuck Grassley, and perhaps more importantly, the ethanol lobbying groups have come out in support of reductions to (although not elimination of) current ethanol subsidies. Politico reports that the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association issued a statement today telling Huntsman “any candidate who supports a level playing field with true market access can do just fine in Iowa.”