Jon Huntsman Family Concerned About Comparisons To Colbert

WASHINGTON -- As Jon Huntsman and his family last weekend discussed the future of his campaign, one surprising topic kept coming up, according to a top Republican source. "They were worried that he would be compared to Stephen Colbert," said this high-ranking source, who declined to be quoted by name because of his friendship with the family and the former candidate. "They were risking being a laughingstock and wanted to preserve some dignity at the end."

Colbert is attempting to run in South Carolina as a write-in candidate, but cannot get official votes: he's not on the ballot and there is no space for write-ins. But he has run even with Huntsman in some polling and it was that comparison that the family wanted to avoid, according to the GOP source.

"That's stupid," said Huntsman spokesman Tim Miller, denying the Republican insider's account. "There were a lot of reasons he (Huntsman) made this decision. Beating Obama was at the top. Stephen Colbert was not on the list."

Insiders in the Romney and Huntsman campaigns describe a drama-less process by which the latter bowed out in favor of the former.

The former Utah governor, who finished an undramatic third in New Hampshire -- where he'd practically lived for a year -- talked things over with advisors and family starting Friday and going through the weekend. According to Miller, they decided that there was no path to victory and that Huntsman was just siphoning votes from Romney, and the final decision was made Sunday.

As the news leaked Sunday night, Miller said Huntsman called Romney. They spoke for a few minutes about the state of the race and how Huntsman could help.

On Monday, after bowing out and endorsing Romney, Huntsman agreed to do an "autodial" phone ad for Mitt, to targeted South Carolina voters.

Romney aides denied that they had sought the Huntsman moves, and said that they were surprised to get the first ground-laying call Sunday from Huntsman aide Jon Weaver.

Comments

[centaur927]

07:01 AM on 01/24/2012

Bad luck sank Huntsman. He dropped out on January 15 with Romney headed toward a three-state sweep. Then on January 19 the Iowa count was revised. If Santorum had won on the 15th, Huntsman would have stayed in and aired his Country First ad. That would have given him a good chance for a bounce in this volatile primary. His electability among moderates may come back to haunt the GOP if they do not prevail in November.

[Kiri the Unicorn]

09:54 AM on 01/22/2012

Jon Huntsman became laughable only when he endorsed Romney. He had credibility up until that point.

[EducatedWoman]

06:57 PM on 01/17/2012

I liked Huntsman as pretty much the only humane candidate in the R bunch. But giving up his old job as ambassador to China - which he was apparently suited for and was good at - to try to get a new job running against his old boss, was not his smartest decision. The comparison with Colbert just made him see it.

[Rocklyn]

05:03 PM on 01/17/2012

... and now they have run off the last voice of sanity in the Republican party. The inmates are now running the institution.

[too young but old enough]

04:39 PM on 01/17/2012

He had the same problem as Buddy Roemer...Way too appealing to Independents to ever secure the party nomination.

[triplettam]

04:33 PM on 01/17/2012

Well, he was the only Republican who said he would not sign pledges to every Tom, Dick and Harry that came along. The only oaths he would recognize was his marriage vows and the oath of office. I applaud him, but that spelled the end for him.

[shankapotomus]

04:22 PM on 01/17/2012

He just didn't know how to campaign.

[bhaines213]

04:19 PM on 01/17/2012

From what I heard, he dropped out because he wasn’t getting the support that he expected from his billionaire father.

[thegreenhornet]

04:04 PM on 01/17/2012

Let me get this straight. The Huntsman ffamily was concerned about the potential of looking foolish if he ontinued to run and was upsrtaged by a comedian, but they were not concerned about his looking foolish by withdrawing from the race and throwing his supoport to the candidate he has been effectively ridiculiung for 6 months. Oh, please!

[aonemandog]

03:44 PM on 01/17/2012

I actually hoped that Huntsman would be able to rise to the top of the slag heap that the Republican Party has put forth as presidential candidates. He easily outclassed all of them. However, he obviously does not have either the temperament or the balls to fill presidential shoes so, it was good to find out early on that he is a quitter. He could have been smart and mined the whole Colbert thing into a positive for his campaign but I don't think he is very fast on his political feet; too much of a gentleman. If he was thinking about saving himself for the 2016 run, he might as well forget that too.

[theoldweezer]

03:32 PM on 01/17/2012

Huntsman, I am disappointed in you to endorse Romney. What are you thinking? You did not fight hard enough. Did Romney buy you off or something? I am a liberal and I liked you.

[lwilkerson50]

03:34 PM on 01/17/2012

me also

[chris hatala]

04:22 PM on 01/17/2012

Me too.

[EW34]

04:31 PM on 01/17/2012

Me three... but that's why he could NEVER win a GOP primary. He is too moderate, too sensible, too smart, and liked by too many liberals and independents. The GOP is all about the extreme right and he was nothing but roadkill for them.

However I think it is stupid that he came out and glowingly supported Romney so quickly. It makes Huntsman look like a say anything politician with NO conviction... which is exactly what Romney is.

And boy did Hunstman drink the kool-aid when he heard people saying he could be president. He should have stayed being the Ambassador to China. And then run for President in 2016. But I think he blew all that. Perhaps if Mitt wins he will make Huntsman the Ambassador to China again, haha.

[neolow]

03:32 PM on 01/17/2012

After Colbert made him look like the loser he was, he had no choice but to fall in line like a good, little Republican.

[Ted Glass]

03:01 PM on 01/17/2012

I think they mean it would be embarrassing if after running for President since June that his poll numbers couldn't even beat out somebody who wont be on the ballot and who isn't running for President. That might be it...

[mdmbuzz]

03:00 PM on 01/17/2012

So instead he made himself a laughingstock by endorsing Romney after bashing him for months and calling him unelectable.

[ecomcon]

03:08 PM on 01/17/2012

Another inexplicable decision in the GOP's Bizarro World.

[theoldweezer]

03:33 PM on 01/17/2012

YEP! my thoughts also. I guess he is also a flip flopper.

[Moderate Independent]

03:00 PM on 01/17/2012

Thanks a lot Colbert, for helping to get rid of a solid candidate. I hope you are happy, (un)funny guy.

[ultrawiz]

03:27 PM on 01/17/2012

Getting rid of a solid candidate? Being beat in the polls by someone that isn't even in the contest would be enough of a clue for most people. I think there shuold be a poll to see who is more electable, Romney or Big Bird. My money would be on the bird.

[aonemandog]

03:45 PM on 01/17/2012

Amen to that!

[bhaines213]

04:22 PM on 01/17/2012

By endorsing Romney, Huntsman showed that he really didn’t have the strength of character that was part of his image.