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(photo: Gage Skidmore/flickr)
Jon M. Huntsman Jr. informed his advisers on Sunday that he intends to drop out of the Republican presidential race, ending his candidacy a week before he had hoped to revive his campaign in the South Carolina primary.
Mr. Huntsman, who had struggled to live up to the soaring expectations of his candidacy, made plans to make an announcement as early as Monday. He had been set to participate in an evening debate in Myrtle Beach.
He had just received the endorsement of the largest newspaper in the state, as dday presciently put it:
Jon Huntsman got the endorsement of the largest newspaper in South Carolina, by the way. And I’m sure this will continue the unerring accuracy of newspaper endorsements.
Apparently he decided “days ago” to give it up:
Huntsman decided “days ago” — shortly after the New Hampshire primary — that he would not go on with his campaign, according to a high-level source close to the campaign.
Senior staffers in South Carolina say the campaign struggled to get Huntsman to campaign in the state following his third-place finish in New Hampshire. They say the campaign had no infrastructure in the state and suffered from lack of resources and communication issues. Not even signs had arrived yet from New Hampshire. Many volunteers had no work assigned to them.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
The South Carolina primary is this Saturday (polls close at 7pm ET), and there are two debates this week, Monday and Thursday evenings.
Stay tuned.
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Kinda like an Agatha Christie novel – although the title is “And Then There Was One”
Otherwise known as “Ten Little Nincompoops”.
Huntsman was/is running for 2016, not 2012. I’m sure he was hoping for #2 in NH, but it didn’t happen. SC is not his kind of state, and Florida requires serious resources to compete.
So this makes sense. He endorses the front-runner and most ideologically compatible candidate, which makes him look like a team player. He preserves his place in line for 2016.
His supporters, like the other not-Romneys, are a mixture of those who actually supported him (probably around 1-2%) and a fraction of the not-Romney vote. Last poll I saw had him at around 5%, so we could expect Romney to pick up around 2% and the rest to go to some other not-Romney(s).
Frankly, I think Colbert’s “Mitt the Ripper” ad will have a bigger effect.
hee de-lee hee
And apparently he’ll endorse Romney
from the MSNBC report:
NBC’s Garrett Haake reports that Huntsman’s campaign advance director was told the candidate was dropping out by a Romney staffer, who had been told by an NBC reporter minutes earlier. According to that Romney staffer, Huntsman campaign staff were at the debate walk through (there’s a debate tomorrow night) asking “real” questions and were seemingly fully involved.
Much, if not all, of the Romney campaign team was also unaware — despite Huntsman endorsing him tomorrow. The campaign’s political director, for example, found out via a news alert.
Hmm VP Huntsman?
Probably not, but keeping his powder dry.
Being elected VP would put him in line for the top slot after two terms.
Being VP on a losing ticket gives him a one-way ticket to SLC.
This isn’t a decision he will have to make, if at all, until the convention. He can decide what the odds of a Republican victory are then.
Of course, he adds nothing to a Romney-headed ticket.
good point, Romney himself is supposed to be the bridge to the “other side”
Except another Mormon and the wingers would go crazy.
yeah they are having a HUGE issue over the one leading.
The only sane person abandons the clown car.
indeed!
altho he kept tacking ever rightward
Huntsman is an establishment candidate. Although very conservative, he comes from the far left of the current party but would never go against the vital interests of his party’s leadership. He is sort of a Republican Bernie Sanders, transposed many octaves to the right of the keyboard. His withdrawal at this point is doubtless intended to help the Republican establishment, which has designated Romney the candidate but is in real hot water with the Republican version of a people’s revolt. The leadership expects that virtually all Huntsman votes will go to Romney.
Arguably the sanest member of the rethuglican clown car ( not that that’s saying much) drops out when he realizes that after getting a “ticket to ride”, with his 3rd place win in NH, Drops out when he, and his fundraisers , realize he is losing to Cobert.
Then Mitt the Ripper, every day a new ad against a different member? Gingrich and Santorum ads write themselves. Ron Paul is a joke. A dangerous joke but nonetheless…
Who knows where Colbert will strike again asks Lamont Cranston.
Mormon dynamic duo, wow. Back room deal made, you drop out, support me and I will make you my vp!
Good riddance! Huntsman supported the NDAA that gave the president dictatorial powers to order indefinite detention without trial to anyone he chooses.
Ron Paul is the least dangerous of the bunch–including fascist Obama. All the others would maintain the destructive status quo. Paul would at least act to reverse the assault on civil liberties, greatly reduce the military budget and end the foreign policy of endless military intervention.
Do you perhaps consider him dangerous because he would not sacrifice US interests to enable Israel’s inhumane policies?
My opposition to Paul is based upon his ignorant interpatation of the bible and the constitition in conjunction with each other.
He is against anything that would limit a corporation or business in any way but supports any law that would invade ones bedroom.
He will support a individuals right to poision the land and water in the name of freedom while dening people access to the courts to address racism.
The list goes on and on.
Ron paul is nothing but a foil for larouche basket cases.