Huntsman Out. More South Carolina Casualties to Come
Rob Long ·
January 16, 2012 at 3:26am
Jon Huntsman has dropped out of the race. From the NYTimes:
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.
Questions: 1. Does his (probable) endorsement of Romney hurt, help, or have zero effect on the current front-runner? 2. Who's next? and 3. What took him so long?
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Comments:
May '10
Re: Huntsman Out. More South Carolina Casualties to Come
The real question is, "Will anybody notice?" Outside of New Hampshire (where he spent most of his time campaigning for the votes of people who aren't, you know, Republicans), Huntsman barely registers with the electorate. Now that I think about it, it's a wonder the guy didn't have Occupy yahoos camped out in his campaign offices. One glance at Huntsman's poll numbers will tell you that he epitomizes "the 1%."
May '11
Re: Huntsman Out. More South Carolina Casualties to Come
1. It's a mild media psychology help to Mitt. Even if it splits in favor of the top Anti-Mitt candidate, it's not likely enough to create a win but might be enough to make Mitt's total cross a psychological boundary. Imagine that it turns a 28 Mitt, 21 Anti-Mitt, 19 Paul race into a 30 Mitt, 24 Anti-Mitt, 20 Paul race.
2. Perry.
3. High probability of damaging the likely nominee. Also, Huntsman would not be the natural beneficiary of any anti-corporate populism used against Romney.
Feb '11
Re: Huntsman Out. More South Carolina Casualties to Come
etoiledunord
Terrell David:
[...] 2. Santorum although I like him alot. The logo sweater vest has disqualified him as presidential material. [...]
Tell it to: · Jan 15 at 9:27pm
Now that's an idea. Ditka vs. Obama? Ditka wins in a landslide with 104% of the vote against Obama's 0%. Then Ditka brings back William Perry and the ghost of Walter Payton to redefeat tthe Patriots (the Brady version) in the super bowl.
Da Bears!
Edited on January 16, 2012 at 3:56pmMay '10
Re: Huntsman Out. More South Carolina Casualties to Come
Ed G.
etoiledunord
Terrell David:
[...] 2. Santorum although I like him alot. The logo sweater vest has disqualified him as presidential material. [...]
Tell it to: · Jan 15 at 9:27pm
Now that's an idea. Ditka vs. Obama? Ditka wins in a landslide with 104% of the vote against Obama's 0%. Then Ditka brings back William Perry and the ghost of Walter Payton to redefeat tthe Patriots (the Brady version) in the super bowl.
Da Bears! · Jan 16 at 6:55am
Edited on Jan 16 at 06:56 am
Funny you should say that... after Jack Ryan (no, not that Jack Ryan) dropped out of the Illinois senate race in 2004, the local GOP tried, unsuccessfully, to recruit Mike Ditka to run again this obscure state senator named Obama. Da Coach eventually declined, after a couple of weeks of what the blogosphere (yours truly included) dubbed "Ditkamania," leaving only the hapless Alan Keyes, who was easy pickings for The Messiah. Prior to his bowing out, more than a few pundits in Chicago figured Ditka as the only guy who could derail Obama's election to the Senate.
So really, this whole situation is ALL DITKA'S FAULT...
Jan '11
Re: Huntsman Out. More South Carolina Casualties to Come
Well, color me disappointed but not surprised. Huntsman and Perry were the only two in this race with a record of conservative executive achievement and have both made themselves un-electable, the former by making himself unlikable and the second by making himself out to sound like a macho, right-wing fool.
In spite of that, I'm going to keep my fingers crossed that Perry turns himself around, but it's almost certain now that I'll have to vote for Romney.
Apr '11
Re: Huntsman Out. More South Carolina Casualties to Come
Huntsman was not a surprise. He's barely made a showing this entire race. He was banking on New Hampshire pulling him into the running, but couldn't beat Romney. His endorsement will make as much an impact as his candidacy has.
Perry's employed a similar strategy, this time banking on South Carolina to pull him into the race. I agree with many here who say he'll be next to go, but only if his SC Strategy fails to produce him a win. Unfortunately, this may do more harm than good for the Not Romney camp. Romney's enjoyed a lack of competition in other Romneys. The Not Romneys have been numerous, though their numbers are decreasing rapidly.
I doubt Perry's strategy will pay off. Then it's down to Santorum and Gingrinch, and I suspect the latter may not know when it's time to step out gracefully. However, we're getting close to three candidates -- Romney, Not Romney, and Ron Paul. Paul will be there to the end, even after Romney or Not Romney gets enough states to secure nomination.
Dec '11
Re: Huntsman Out. More South Carolina Casualties to Come
Israel P.
EThompson
Yikes, a true conservative wouldn't want to waste such a bona fide tough guy on State!
National Security Advisor is another story altogether...
I think Bolton has illusions of dispersing some of the fog at Foggy Bottom. Good luck on that - both seriously and sarcastically.
I agree. He didn't have a whole lot of luck converting the UN; he should be used where he can make the biggest impact. His talent and integrity are far too precious to waste.
Sep '10
Re: Huntsman Out. More South Carolina Casualties to Come
I think the endorsement will help. It will solidify Romney's image as inevitable.