Here’s the brief version of Jon Huntsman’s likely campaign strategy: he shares enough in common with the Tea Party to be an acceptable GOP nominee, and he has enough crossover appeal to pull off a win in the general election. Oh, and before you dub him Mitt Romney 2.0, consider that there’s no Romneycare in Huntsman’s background.
A source close to the efforts surrounding a potential Huntsman run makes the case for the former Utah governor to National Review Online this way: “He has both private and public sector experience in job creation, which not all the candidates have that experience. He has, as governor of Utah, cut taxes, cut spending, brought transparency in government, and brought about a health care program based on free market principles … He will be the only candidates that chooses to run that has significant and real foreign policy experience. He is pro-life, pro-2nd amendment, and he’s the kind of person that can win not only a nomination, but also a general election.”
“He’s a new generation, he’s got a compelling story, he’s articulate, he’s charismatic, he’s very intelligent … many of the other potential candidates have some of those things, but none of them have all those things,” the source continues.
What about the attacks that Huntsman’s position as ambassador to China for the Obama administration will no doubt generate? Well, Huntsman backers are hoping to deflect those by arguing that Americans will understand that if your president asks you to do a service for your country, you accept the position.
And while Huntsman can’t campaign until after he has left his current position (his last day as ambassador is April 30), his supporters are hoping to use the next few months to encourage GOP voters to support or at least be open to a Huntsman candidacy.