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Establishment Republicans are reportedly trying to convince former Utah Governor and failed 2012 presidential candidate Jon Huntsman to oust Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) in 2016. CNN’s John King said on Inside Politics that national establishment leaders in the business community will join state establishment leaders to try to convince President Barack Obama’s former Ambassador to China to challenge Lee. King noted that Huntsman’s deep-pocketed dad (Huntsman Sr., though, did pony up funds to his son’s campaign down the stretch–perhaps because he saw the writing on the wall.) does not like Lee (Huntsman Sr. is reportedly upset his cancer institute did...

The Talk Shows January 25th, 2015 Guests to be interviewed today on major television talk shows: FOX NEWS SUNDAY (Fox Network): White House chief of staff Denis McDonough; Gov. John Kasich, R-Ohio.MEET THE PRESS (NBC): McDonough; former Gov. Mike Huckabee, R-Ark. FACE THE NATION (CBS): McDonough; Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.THIS WEEK (ABC): McDonough; Gov. Bobby Jindal, R-La.STATE OF THE UNION (CNN): McDonough; former Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa.; Reps. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill, Adam Schiff, D-Calif, and Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz.; former Gov. Jon Huntsman, R-Utah.

A current LDS apostle and a former Utah governor were honored by Utah Catholics Thursday. Elder L. Tom Perry and his wife, Barbara Perry along with Jon Huntsman and his wife, Mary Kaye Huntsman, were honored at Catholic Community Services’ annual Humanitarian Awards Dinner at Little America Hotel in downtown Salk Lake City. Mary Kaye Huntsman has launched two youth programs called Bag of Hope and Power in You. The Catholic Community Service said that Jon and Mary Kaye have worked tirelessly in pubic service and to help those in need...

Jon Huntsman Sr., father of former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. and a self-described “lifelong Republican,” argued that the tea party has ruined the Republican Party, and that the GOP doesn’t stand a chance unless someone like his son is elected. “The tea party has completely captivated and ruined the Republican Party today and they’ll show this in 2016,” Huntsman Sr. said last week, Yahoo News reported. “Unless a Jeb Bush comes in or John Huntsman Jr., the Republicans don’t have a prayer.” The Chinjunior Mr. Huntsman, who unsuccessfully sought the GOP nomination in 2012, now serves as the U.S....

If the polls hold, 2014 should be a banner year for Republicans. But Jon Hunstman Sr., a self-described "lifelong Republican" and former special assistant to President Richard Nixon, is looking ahead with concern about the Grand Old Party's 2016 prospects. "The Tea Party has completely captivated and ruined the Republican Party today and they'll show this in 2016," says Hunstman, author of Barefoot to Billionaire. "Unless a Jeb Bush comes in or John Huntsman Jr., the Republicans don't have a prayer." ... The patriarch of the Huntsman family had a more terse reply when asked whether a 'moderate' Republican like...

The Texas senator stands for conservative principles. Unfortunately, that's all he does with them.Is Ted Cruz good for conservatives? Or is it the other way around? The answer matters a lot, because it's not impossible that this guy could be the next GOP presidential nominee. A close adviser to Texas' junior senator told National Journal that there is a 90 percent chance the Tea Party star will run for president in 2016. "And honestly, 90 is lowballing it." Cruz denies that he has made plans past the midterms. But boy, he sure does look like a man preparing for a...

A group founded by moderate lawmakers from both sides of the aisle aiming to push politicians back toward the eroding political center is endorsing Republican Cory Gardner in his campaign to unseat Democratic U.S. Sen. Mark Udall. At least, that’s how it was presented in a press release from Gardner’s campaign with the headline: “Bipartisan “No Labels” group endorses Cory Gardner.”

The 2,500-seat Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts sold out March 31 for an appearance by Jon Huntsman as part of the Philadelphia Speaker Series. Two days later, Huntsman filled Boston Symphony Hall. Another Huntsman appearance at UCLA later this month is sold out. Without the benefit of incessant media attention some early 2016 prospects have been receiving, Huntsman’s visions and his authentic, inspiring way of conveying them has been attracting, and resonating with, capacity audiences. At the Kimmel Center, Huntsman drew laughs in lowering his hand slowly to the floor, a metaphor for the impact on his 2012 primary...

Bill Kristol played the role of mischief maker on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” Thursday. Prompted by host Joe Scarborough, Kristol tallied off the nine Republicans he thinks will be finalists for the 2016 Republican nomination — and one of the nine was Scarborough himself. “Why would you put Joe on that list?” show co-host Mika Brzezinski asked. “He’s a former elected official. He’s got a real following out there. He’ll fill the Jon Huntsman lane,” Kristol said with a wry smile, eliciting cackles from Scarborough. After his failed 2016 presidential run, Huntsman has become a punchline for many conservatives. “OK, I’ll...

In his new “Kristol Clear” prediction segment on Morning Joe, Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol augured Thursday morning that Sarah Palin might run for president in 2016. “I mean, why wouldn’t she run?” he asked, causing NBC News White House correspondent Chuck Todd to answer what was probably a rhetorical question. “I think it’s a financial reason,” Todd said. “To get back into the spotlight. Get the speaking fees back up. You know, there’s some question in my mind about [Mike] Huckabee’s motivation, how much of that is about — you know, there’s a lot of people who run for...

Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, who ran for the Republican U.S. presidential nomination in 2012, suggested he might run again but said he is not a candidate yet....

Former Utah governor and presidential hopeful Jon Huntsman is speaking out in favor of marriage equality, arguing that it is a “conservative cause” that the Republican Party should support. In an op-ed for The American Conservative, Huntsman writes about his time as governor of Utah during which he pushed for civil unions and equality for the LGBTQ community, and adds that the GOP now has the opportunity to do more. “Conservatives should start to lead again and push their states to join the nine others that allow all their citizens to marry,” Huntsman writes... Huntsman’s pro-marriage equality stance is not...

When Obama campaign aides surveyed the field of Republican presidential hopefuls early on, they saw a certain handsome Mormon candidate and thought he’d be trouble in a general election showdown. It wasn’t Mitt Romney. Jon Huntsman is the former Utah governor who took a moderate stance in a GOP field that leaned to the right. He didn’t get very far in the Republican nomination fight, but team Obama viewed him as a serious candidate who could pose real problems in a general election.

President Barack Obama signed a bill Friday evening that would exempt some senior-level presidential appointees from Senate confirmation. Sponsored by Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer and cosponsored by Republicans and Democrats, the bill, now law, weakens the power of the legislature and strengthens the executive branch, critics have warned. The bill skated through the Senate three months after being introduced in 2011 and was passed by the Republican-controlled House 216-116 in July. The law now allows Obama and future presidents to name appointees to senior positions in every branch of the administration, from the Department of the Treasury to the Department...

I have to admit, the Huntsman candidacy for President never made much sense to me. When it began I thought: wait, this guy served in the Obama Administration and now wants to run against him? And I didn't really get any further than that. Maybe, though, it was simply Himalayan-sized political ambition. According to very credible sources, Huntsman has accepted a speaking slot at the Democrat convention in Charlotte next month. So, first the guy stabs the GOP in the back to work for Obama. Then, he stabs Obama in the back to run against him. And now Huntsman's political...

Two people close to Jon Huntsman this morning rejected speculation from a liberal blog that the former candidate's wealthy father is the source of unsubstantiated claims that Mitt Romney didn't pay taxes for 10 years. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid first made the accusation last month, attributing it to an anonymous source who had invested in Bain. In a widely-circulated blog post yesterday, Daily Kos founder Markos Moulistas suggested that the man behind the claim could be Jon Huntsman Sr., a Utah philanthropist and industrialist who has donated to Reid's campaign in the past, has business contacts in the Bain...

Huntsman compares GOP to Communist Party of China Posted by CNN Producer Gabriella Schwarz (CNN) – Former GOP White House contender Jon Huntsman on Monday explained the comparison he made between the Republican Party and Communist Party of China the night before as "waxing philosophical" on the state of politics. On Sunday night Huntsman equated being disinvited by the Republican Party from a Florida fundraiser in March after he floated the idea of a third party to "what they do in China on party matters if you talk off script," according to political blog BuzzFeed. On Monday the former Utah...

Jon Huntsman has halted his campaign for president, leaving Romney the only serious choice on foreign policy.

The Huntsman Corporation, a leading chemical company, said yesterday that Bain Capital Inc., the buyout firm that owns Domino's Pizza and Sealy Mattress, agreed to buy a $600 million stake in the closely held business. Huntsman said it would use part of the money to buy out Imperial Chemical Industries' 30 percent share of Huntsman.

ANUARY 16, 2012 Jon Huntsman to Drop Out of Presidential Race BY CAROL E. LEE AND NEIL KING JR. Republican presidential candidate Jon M. Huntsman Jr. intends to drop out of the nomination contest on Monday and endorse rival Mitt Romney, the Huntsman campaign said. "He's going to endorse Gov. Romney tomorrow and urge the party to come together," one person briefed on events said. A Huntsman aide said Mr. Huntsman was proud of his third-place showing in New Hampshire last week but felt his campaign was standing in the way of a Romney win in Saturday's primary election in...