In an interview with the Boston Globe earlier this week, John Huntsman refused to rule out a 3rd party bid for the Presidency.
Asked, “Is there any situation in which you would run for president as an independent?” Huntsman told The Boston Globe, “I don’t think so.”
Told that anything but a flat denial could perpetuate speculation about the possibility, Huntsman replied: “I’m a lifelong Republican. I’m running as a Republican, and I fully anticipate that that’s where we’re going to be.”
The former Utah governor has faced persistent speculation about an independent candidacy.
OK, so that's not much to go on. But this adds a little fuel to the fire.
Former New Jersey Gov. Christie Todd Whitman, who is leading a group to draft a third-party presidential candidate, is encouraging Jon Huntsman to make an independent bid for the White House.
“I would hope he would do it, frankly. He’s someone that I would support,” Whitman said Friday in an interview with POLITICO.
Politico
Found via Political Wire
Thoughts below the Orange Squiggle of Power.
Whitman, who headed the EPA under former President George W. Bush, serves on the board of directors of Americans Elect, which is trying to get ballot lines in all 50 states and have delegates take part in an online vote to select a bipartisan presidential ticket.
Americans Elect is on the ballot already in 11 states. California and Hawaii are about to drop - and of course getting on the ballot in California is a big symbolic deal.
My thought is that Americans Elect is a godsend to the Democrats - because I think independents are going to be a LOT more unhappy with the GOP candidate then they are with President Obama. That is, instead of splitting more or less 50 - 50 in a close race, they'll split 40 - 30 - 30, and President Obama will have the 40. I don't think too many liberals / progressives who dislike Obama are going to switch over to Huntsman.