Huntsman Was Too Moderate to Win the Nomination

Of all the candidates who currently are, or previously were, running for the Republican nomination bid for the presidency in 2011 and 2012, there was truly only one candidate whom could be called a Moderate Republican. Of course, one could argue that the views of Mitt Romney are at times moderate, but the true moderate candidate in the race was former governor Jon Huntsman of Utah. In the initial process of the Republican primaries, even before he had officially announced his candidacy for the presidency, Huntsman openly and regularly referred to himself as a moderate conservative whose views often times clash with other well-known Republicans like Newt Gingrich; former speaker of the house, Sarah Palin; former governor of Alaska and ran for the vice presidency along-side Republican John McCain, and Rick Santorum; former senator of Pennsylvania.

Jon Huntsman referred to himself as a Moderate Republican as a way to differentiate himself from the rest of the Republican field, in an attempt to sway the important Independent voters, and potentially sway liberal and Democratic voters whom were not happy with the progress (or lack thereof) of the current president, Barack Obama. He had made the prediction that many would not vote for an ultra-conservative, like Rick Perry; current governor of Texas, or Rick Santorum, but would instead, opt for a candidate whose views were more in the middle of the spectrum, like that of his own.

In a sense, this method that Huntsman initially used ultimately led to his downfall in the race, resulting in his eventual withdrawal in January 2011, shortly after the New Hampshire Primaries, and just before the South Carolina Primaries. Towards the end of his campaign, Huntsman had a difficult time ensuring the public that, despite his significant moderate views, he was still a conservative enough candidate to win the Republican Party, and that he deserved the nomination more than anyone else running. Jon Huntsman and his views were too moderate to win votes from conservatives for the Republican nomination.