Courting N.H. independents, Huntsman bills himself as the candidate to unite the GOP
ALTON BAY, N.H. -- Hours before presidential front runner Mitt Romney took the stage at a Tea Party Express rally Sunday night in Concord, N.H., in an attempt to woo far-right conservatives, his fellow GOP candidate Jon Huntsman indicated to reporters in Alton Bay that he'd rather focus his time and resources on independents.
Asked about Texas Gov. Rick Perry's remark Saturday that Republicans need a "clear contrast" from President Obama, Huntsman, who was recently ambassador to China under Obama, said running to the right isn't on his to-do list.
"The Republican Party needs to win back independents; we need to win back disaffected Democrats who used to be Republicans a long time ago, who were 'Reagan Democrats,' so called," Huntsman said during a meet-and-greet in New Hampshire's independent-rich 1st congressional district. "Growing contrast is one thing, but we've got to have a candidate who can cross traditional boundaries and bring in the numbers that will allow us to win an election, plain and simple."
Still, Huntsman insisted that he and his former boss don't have much in common. This election, Huntsman said, "is going to be about the economy and about jobs. And [the president and I] have very different worldviews on that and a whole lot of other areas. That doesn't mean he isn't a good man; he's a good person, he has a great family. But our worldviews are very, very different on these issues."
Huntsman continues to poll in low single digits in New Hampshire, the first-in-the-nation primary state where he's counting on a breakout performance to catapult him to the top tier.
Huntsman on "Face the Nation:" Early polls "absolute nonsense"
During an election cycle in which conservatives are calling for a direct contrast to Obama, Huntsman has struggled to steal the spotlight away from more charismatic and ideologically pure candidates like Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn. Strolling along the lakeside at a crafts fair in Alton Bay, several passersby who noticed the reporter herd asked, "Who is that?"
New Hampshire Republican state Rep. Jeffrey St. Cyr, 22, who recently endorsed Huntsman and met briefly with him Sunday, said it's a matter of name recognition. "Today's been a very positive response," he said.
Huntsman seems to think so too. On his way out of the Hopkinton State Fair in Contoocook on Sunday evening, he managed to use a mini-flip at Sarah Palin to reiterate his confidence that he'll win the Granite State.
"I didn't find any fried butter!" Huntsman quipped, presumably referring to Palin's e-mail to supporters last month expressing her excitement to try "some of that famous fried butter-on-a-stick" at the Iowa State Fair. "But I had some darn good lemonade, and made some really good friends, which is what this state is full of: a lot of good people who want to be won over, who need to be won over here to win.
"So we look forward to winning this state," he concluded. "It's going to take a lot of handshakes and a lot of friend-making."
Below, watch Jon Huntsman's appearance on Sunday's "Face the Nation":
