Today Jon Huntsman has dropped out of the GOP race stating family reasons and not wanting to step on the toes of the clear front runner, Mitt Romney, leading into the South Carolina primaries. The Huntsman campaign has had low poll numbers throughout the race but his views on how to move this country forward will have to wait for 2016 if he decides to jump back in.
According to his campaign site, Huntsman is quoted as saying “As President, I’ll Modernize U.S. Education First and Foremost, Restore Local Control” believing strongly that every American deserves a quality education. Huntsman believes in restoring trust to the failing educational system of today by modernizing it. Huntsman wanted to break some of the strong holds the federal government has over the educational system by giving states more control to create exclusive childhood education programs. The Huntsman campaign was prepared to scale down the Department of Education, make it easier for schools to adopt new technologies into the curriculum, and reward quality teachers with high salaries.
Huntsman endorses Mitt Romney to be the next President of the United States. Huntsman believes Mr. Romney has the best chance at defeating Barack Obama in this year’s election. They are both Mormons who believe Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph Smith in 1820. Heading into the South Carolina primary this could not have come at a better time for Romney. The largest newspaper in S.C., The State, endorsed Jon Huntsman as their candidate for President within 24 hours of him pulling out of the race. The press conference for the endorsement is scheduled today at 11 a.m.
With the Huntsman endorsement Mitt Romney looks primed for a victory in South Carolina. South Carolina has been hit hard in recent decades with massive manufacturing job losses and Mitt Romney has an economic message that relates well in this area.
The Republican nomination for President has been a bit of a roller coaster ride this year. Rick Perry took an early lead, looking like a strong viable candidate that would be tough to beat. Perry has since taken a big dive in the polls and it’s doubtful Perry can climb back out of it. Newt Gingrich had the lead for a while but his Freddie Mac connections and other factors contributed to his recent decline. Romney is currently the clear favorite now, and after a perfectly timed endorsement heading into the South Carolina primaries he seems destined to head up the GOP to face Barack Obama in the upcoming election.
Sources:
http://www.jon2012.com/index.php/hpress/news/huntsman_as_president_ill_modernize_u.s._education
http://www.thestate.com/2012/01/15/2114108/huntsman-could-bring-us-back-
together.html#storylink=omni_popular
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_ROMNEY_HUNTSMAN?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2012-01-16-03-50-21
http://www.cnn.com/2012/01/15/politics/romney-south-carolina-conservatives/index.html