Huntsman drops out, endorses Romney

Updated at 12:20 p.m. ET

Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman on Monday formally suspended his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination and threw his support behind Mitt Romney, calling him the candidate best poised to beat President Obama in November.

"I believe it is now time for our party to unite around the candidate best equipped to defeat Barack Obama," Huntsman said from Myrtle Beach, S.C. "Despite our differences and the space between us on some of the issues, I believe that candidate is Mitt Romney."

Huntsman also admonished the other Republican presidential candidates for the attacks they've launched at each other in recent weeks, arguing that "the current toxic form of our political discourse" will not help the Republican party appeal to the American people.

"This race has degenerated into an onslaught of negative and personal attacks not worthy of the American people and not worthy of this critical time," Huntsman said. He called on the candidates to stop attacking each other and instead talk to the public about the party's conservative ideas aimed at creating jobs and stimulating the economy.

Huntsman himself had criticized Romney over the course of the campaign. For instance, one day before the January 10 New Hampshire primary, Huntsman called Romney "unelectable" after Romney said he "liked being able to fire people."

The Obama re-election campaign on Monday immediately seized the opportunity to highlight Huntsman's earlier criticisms against Romney -- and his praise for Mr. Obama. Senior Obama campaign strategist David Axelrod on Monday tweeted, "Hunts called Obama 'a remarkable leader,' Mitt 'perfectly lubricated weather vane.' Now hes 4 Mitt, and decries loss of 'trust' in politics?"

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In a statement Monday, Romney said he appreciated Huntsman's support and said Huntsman "ran a spirited campaign based on unity not division, and love of country."

Huntsman had staked his entire campaign on performing well in New Hampshire, but he finished in a disappointing third place there, behind Romney and Rep. Ron Paul. He did manage to gain some traction in the Granite State -- going from a blip in the polls to 17 percent support -- but that momentum wasn't carrying over to South Carolina. Polls in the Palmetto state showed that Huntsman was stuck in fifth or sixth place with single-digit support.

Like Romney, Republican voters have been skeptical of Huntsman's conservative credentials. The former Utah governor served as U.S. ambassador to China in the Obama administration and has taken relatively moderate positions on issues like climate change.

But while Huntsman's campaign stalled, Romney's bid for the GOP nomination gained steam. He won both the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primaries -- an unprecedented move for a non-incumbent Republican presidential candidate -- and now leads in polls in South Carolina, which votes on January 21.

In spite of Romney's momentum, his remaining GOP opponents appear ready to keep up the fight. R.C. Hammond, a spokesman for former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, said in response to reports of Huntsman's exit from the race, "With Governor Huntsman dropping out, we are one step closer to a bold Reagan conservative winning the GOP nomination."

Former Sen. Rick Santorum, meanwhile, dismissed Huntsman's endorsement of Romney as a "moderate backing a moderate." On CBS' "Face the Nation" on Sunday, Santorum said Romney fails to present a sufficiently "stark contrast" to Mr. Obama, and said that if Romney were to win the nomination he would consider it "malpractice on the part of the primary voters."

Santorum is hoping to gain momentum in South Carolina after winning the support of about 150 social conservatives who met over the weekend and decided to back the former senator.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry, meanwhile, has been aggressively campaigning in South Carolina after opting to skip campaigning in the more moderate state of New Hampshire.

[noloyalisti]

Mitt Robmee is just part of the problem with America. The less money you make the more you pay in taxes. Most people have been accepting of that sad fact until the American Autumn. Now in 2012 we have to completely change out our financial and political system. That leaves Robmee and the other greedy, rich less than worthless Top 1% out in the cold.

[noloyalisti]

Here I thought Huntsman had half a brain and then he endorses Robmee. My bad for overestimating any Republicon. Both these guys, like the rest of the Cons of Death want to continue the Bush Doctrine of pre-emptive strikes on third world nations to steal their oil.

[hopetrumps]

All good Christians and other truthseekers should google "tract mormon"---there's loads of excellent tracts explaining "mormonism"----It's one thing to have a different religion, but it's another thing to distort the truth as Mitt Romney does so consistently--if he isn't telling an outright whopper he's twisting truth so ugly that it bleeds---truth is, Mormonism is based on a "prophet" that came AFTER Jesus Christ like Mohammedanism and is filled with wild and fantastical stories and theories about reality--Good Christians and all men of good will: print those tracts out and distribute them before good people are fooled before they vote!

[Zann-Zel]

Slow and Dan - We were in Babenhausen Germany 1987 to 1990 - when were yall there? : ) I loved it there!

[slownewsday2012]

by slownewsday2012 January 16, 2012 9:26 PM EST
Another of Dan's lies. Sarge and I spent an hour proving to him he had no clue what he was talking about. He claimed to be stationed in Germany for 9 years as Army

by Dan1802 January 16, 2012 9:32 PM EST
YOU LIE Slowly!!! I was in Germany 9 years AFTER you were there.

by Dan1802 January 16, 2012 9:32 PM EST
I spent 9 years in Germany on two separate tours.

---

It really amazes me how quickly you forget what you've just typed. It would be sad, except that it's so damn funny!!

[slownewsday2012]

Dan - just read your comments - you can't keep anything straight! Nice projecting about the drinking, though...

[anonymous010]

I can understand why Huntsman dropped out; after all, Stephen Colbert's fake campaign is generating more popularity in SC than Hunstman has. That on top of poor showings in states that he has campaigned and it's realistic to realize that you're not going to win this.

However, I will never approve of a dropout endorsing the leading competing candidate when they realize that they won't win. It's completely insincere. I know that it's accepted practice in political races and that candidates on both sides of the fence do it, but I hate it every single time I see it. If a candidate truly believes that they're the person for the job, losing shouldn't change their mind and they shouldn't endorse anybody.

[JV1970]

I knew this was going to happen at some point. Huntsman's campaign just didn't take off. It seems like it just couldn't get traction. It seemed to me that it lasted much longer than it should have because it was obvious for a long time that it was going nowhere. The whole campaign was a big waste of money.

[slownewsday2012]

The problem is that he was almost as good as Ron Paul, but he supported Israel. That rogue nation has been nothing but problems for the US.

[JV1970]

slow I disagree! First, I don't think that was his problem at all. I don't think the fact that he supported Israel had anything to do with it. In fact that probably helped him among us Christians even I personally am a Santorum, Perry, and Gingrich supporter.

I think Huntsman simply "saw the writing on the wall" and finally realized that his campaign wasn't taking off and was going nowhere and it wasn't going to take off. He decided it was time to throw in the towel and stop the huge waste of money.

Incidentally, I hope and pray that the US NEVER turns against Israel!

[diamruby]

He will stand behind Romney because the Mormon cult church demands it of their members. Everyone should be studying their cult of rules enforce in Utah, Idaho, & all other areas of lives they have ruined.

[slownewsday2012]

Dan doesn't like gays in the military, but Israel has had them for a long time.

Dan doesn't like lifelong welfare, but Israel has it just for the asking.

Dan doesn't like socialized healthcare, but Israel has it.

Tell us, Dan - why do you still support Israel even though their principles go against your own?

[slownewsday2012]

I don't support Israel's military.

[FormerUSMCSergeant]

The only repub I could have voted for threw in the towel.....too bad.

[slownewsday2012]

I didn't like him because of his strong support for Israel, the nation with 67 UN humanitarian violations they haven't bothered to try to correct. Israel makes the US a terror target, as we appear to be supporting their rogue actions.