Jon Huntsman's New Hampshire Strategy: A Commitment to Consistency and Leadership

Jon Huntsman, the former US ambassador to China and former Utah governor, is staking his claim in the New Hampshire primary, pouring all his efforts into the state in an attempt to revive his flagging campaign. Huntsman believes his commitment to consistency and leadership is the key to his success, emphasizing his record as a conservative and his ability to tackle the country's economic and trust deficits. However, he faces stiff competition from other Republican candidates, including Rick Santorum, who has recently released a radio ad claiming Huntsman is a moderate and therefore unelectable.

Key Takeaways:

  • Huntsman must perform well in New Hampshire to survive, and he believes beating market expectations is crucial.
  • He intends to tackle the country's economic and trust deficits by implementing his economic policy program, which includes a commitment to the Ryan plan on debt and spending.
  • Huntsman emphasizes his moderate temperament, which he believes is often mistaken for a moderate record, and points to his conservative record in Utah, where he was re-elected with nearly 80% of the vote.
  • He criticizes Rick Santorum's foreign policy credentials, saying his time spent in an International House of Pancakes does not qualify for foreign policy experience.
  • Huntsman lived overseas four times and has been an ambassador three times, including managing the US-China relationship, which he believes is essential for the country's economic and strategic future.
  • In a hypothetical scenario, Huntsman says he would not vote for Ron Paul if he were to win the Republican nomination due to Paul's isolationist views.

Statistics:

  • Huntsman believes the country's trust deficit is as corrosive as the economic deficit, which totals $15 trillion in debt.
  • He aims to tackle the trust deficit by implementing term limits in Congress and closing the revolving door.
  • 80% of the vote in Utah upholds Huntsman's claim to being a consistent conservative.
  • Huntsman lived overseas four times and has been an ambassador three times, including managing the US-China relationship.
  • He believes the American people will recognize the importance of his foreign policy experience and ability to tackle complex issues like Iran acquiring weapons of mass destruction.

Sources:

  • CNN/Time/ORC poll
  • "New Hampshire Union-Leader"
  • "Wall Street Journal"
  • CNN (interview with Jon Huntsman)
  • New Hampshire primary result for Huntsman (not specified in text)

Note: The text does not specify any sources for the statistics or Huntsman's New Hampshire primary result.