MANCHESTER, N.H. – Jon Huntsman, greeted by supporters chanting, “Country First! Country First!” declared that his third place showing meant he was now “in the hunt” for the Republican nomination and had a “ticket to ride” to South Carolina.
But the reality is, his failure to finish at least second in the Granite State effectively represents the end of his candidacy, even if he wasn’t ready to make it official tonight. New Hampshire, with an open primary in which 51 percent of voters turned out to be Democrats or Independents, was tailor made for the message of his candidacy. If he can’t do better than third here, there’s no realistic reason to believe he can compete in states where the electorate is restricted to Republicans. In fact, according to exit polls, Huntsman’s support shrunk as the electorate got more red. He finished first with Democrats, getting 41 percent of the vote, came in third with 23 percent of independents, but he finished fifth among those who identify as actual Republicans, garnering just 10 percent of the vote. Suffice it to say, this isn’t a viable long-term strategy to win a Republican nomination.
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It didn’t necessarily have to be this way. As Tim Carney detailed this week, Huntsman actually had a pretty conservative governing record in Utah. And his record was in important respects, to the right of frontrunner Romney. Huntsman was consistently pro-life and in favor of gun rights as governor and ultimately opposed a health insurance mandate. By contrast, Romney used to be pro-choice, signed an assault weapons ban and championed a mandate and subsidize health care law that was the model for Obamacare. During the current campaign, Romney’s tax plan has been timid, while Huntsman offered a sweeping reform that would eliminate all loopholes and deductions, including sacred cows such as those for mortgage interest and employer-based health insurance. Huntsman immediately came out to endorse Rep. Paul Ryan’s Medicare reform plan as Romney dragged his feet and eventually adopted a watered down version that still preserves a government-run plan as an option.
Instead of running to the right of Romney, Huntsman decided to make a play for independents and those who hate the Republicans, picking pointless fights on topics such as evolution. This created the perception that he was the most liberal candidate in the race, and perception is what matters in politics.
