Huntsman: I'm no longer "margin-of-error candidate"

RAYMOND, N.H. - Jon Huntsman, who for the first time last week broke into double-digits in the polls in New Hampshire, told voters in the Granite State on Saturday that he is no longer a "margin-of-error candidate" in his race for the GOP presidential nomination.

Following a swing through Orlando, Fla., where Huntsman has based his campaign headquarters, the former Utah governor returned to the first-in-the-nation primary state, where he has made clear he is betting most of his chips.

"We're going to win this state," Huntsman predicted in a Raymond, N.H., town hall meeting. "They used to call us the margin-of-error candidate when I first came here. I can't say that anymore. I can't say we're the margin-of-error candidate. The last polls that came out, we're bumping up to number two, 10 percent in the polls."

Two polls last week showed Huntsman moving from the low single digits to 10 percent, including a Suffolk University poll that placed him ahead of Rick Perry, the former Texas governor who has led the pack in many national polls.

Huntsman, who has repeatedly criticized his GOP rivals for seeking "drama"-driven attention from the media, said Saturday that he's making progress even without expensive radio and television advertising. "We've done it without a whole lot of bumper stickers, we've done it without a whole lot of artifice, artificiality, which is sometimes too prevalent in campaigns and politics."

"We're doing it the old-fashioned way," Huntsman said.

New Hampshire, it seems, appreciates it. In the small town of Raymond, the town-hall event was standing room only, with about 75 people, including several state representatives. Huntsman was 30 minutes late, but people in the audience jumped to their feet when he arrived, and punctuated his address with frequent applause.

Earlier in the day, Huntsman dropped by Joey's Diner in Amherst, N.H., for a round-table discussion with locals. On his way out, one voter told him, "It's good to have you back in the state, Sir." The candidate replied, "Hey, we can't stay away for more than a day or two. It keeps drawing us in. Not a bad thing."

Earlier, his reception in Florida was less enthusiastic. He scored just two percent in the state's Republican straw poll, second-to-last just ahead of Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn. Neither candidate was actively competing in the poll.