Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman has released an open letter to former Gov. John Sunnunu, R-N.H., excoriating him for endorsing Mitt Romney. The letter reminds Sunnunu that he had promised to endorse a “conservative Republican” before attacking Romney on his flip-flops.
Huntsman gets just a little snippy with Sunnunu in the letter, concluding, “I even look forward to sitting down with you at some point if you ever care to learn the truth.” Huntsman, reportedly, “never was in consideration” for Sunnunu’s endorsement.
If Sunnunu had endorsed Hunstman, the support might have provided a big boost to his campaign. By backing Romney, he helps tighten a strong frontrunner’s grasp on the New Hampshire primary.
Full letter below.
Over the course of this campaign you have made it abundantly clear that you would endorse a conservative governor – a laudable criterion.
However, I am surprised that you believe Mitt Romney meets that threshold. Consider some of the fundamental issues:
While Mitt Romney opposed the Bush tax cuts and raised taxes and fees by $750 million in Massachusetts, I signed the largest tax cut in Utah history which helped our state lead the nation in job growth.
While Mitt Romney implemented government healthcare in Massachusetts – which included an individual mandate and became the blueprint for Obamacare – I signed free-market healthcare reform described as “the other end of the spectrum” from the Obama-Romney approach.
While Mitt Romney once declared that he does not “line up with the NRA” and pledged to not “chip away” at Massachusetts’ onerous gun control laws, I signed landmark legislation to defend the Second Amendment.
While Mitt Romney was once ardently pro-choice – stating in 1994 that “abortions should be safe and legal” – I am proud to be a lifelong defender of the sanctity of life.
While Mitt Romney proudly declared himself an independent during the Reagan-Bush years – even saying during his Senate campaign that he was “not trying to return to Reagan-Bush” – I am proud to have served in President Reagan’s administration which ushered in a golden era of prosperity in America.
When you look at his past statements, positions and voting record, the idea that Mitt Romney is a principled conservative is an impossible conclusion. It is more than his one term dealing with a liberal legislature; it’s a lifetime and record of inconsistent and liberal positions.
One last thing I almost forgot to mention: while we both served President George H.W. Bush – you as Chief of Staff and me as ambassador to Singapore – Mitt Romney supported and voted for Democratic presidential candidate and potential Bush opponent Paul Tsongas.
Mitt Romney and I have two very different records and visions for America’s future, which I look forward to sharing with voters in New Hampshire and across the nation. I even look forward to sitting down with you at some point if you ever care to learn the truth.
Sincerely,
Jon Huntsman
