the hunt for red november

Jon Huntsman Will Declare His Candidacy in New Jersey

Former Utah governor and ambassador to China Jon Huntsman revealed today that he’ll make his long-awaited official campaign announcement a week from today in New Jersey. That may seem like an odd choice, since New Jersey isn’t Huntsman’s home state, nor is it an early primary state or even an especially important general-election state. But Huntsman will be declaring his candidacy in Liberty State Park, with the Statue of Liberty behind him, so it appears he just really likes a good backdrop. Another possibility: He’s ballsily trying to portray himself as the next Ronald Reagan. Politico writes:

It’s often said that Ronald Reagan would be too moderate to get through a Republican primary today, so that might be another thing Huntsman and Reagan have in common.

Huntsman to enter 2012 Republican primary [Hill]
Statue of Liberty redux [Politico 2012]

Jon Huntsman Will Declare His Candidacy in New Jersey