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Jon Huntsman Jr.
Jon Huntsman Jr. (Republican Party) was the governor of Utah from 2005 to 2009. He left office to serve as the U.S. ambassador to China from 2009 to 2011 under the Obama administration.[1]
Huntsman was a Republican candidate for president in 2012.[2] He suspended his campaign on January 16, 2012, and endorsed the eventual Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney.[3]
On July 20, 2017, President Donald Trump nominated Huntsman to be the U.S. ambassador to Russia.[4] Huntsman resigned from this position on August 6, 2019, effective October 3 of the same year.[5]
Huntsman ran for election for governor of Utah in 2020. He lost in the Republican primary on June 30, 2020.
In addition to serving as the U.S. ambassador to China, Huntsman was the U.S. ambassador to Singapore under former President George H.W. Bush from 1992 to 1993.
Biography
Huntsman is the son of billionaire businessman and philanthropist Jon Huntsman, Sr. of Huntsman Corporation. He attended the University of Utah, where he was a Sigma Chi. He received a bachelor's degree in business from the University of Pennsylvania.[6]
He served a Latter-day Saints mission in Taiwan and speaks fluent Standard Mandarin Chinese.[6]
Elections
2020
See also: Utah gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2020
Utah gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2020 (June 30 Republican primary)
General election
General election for Governor of Utah
The following candidates ran in the general election for Governor of Utah on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Spencer Cox (R) | 63.0 | 918,754 |
 | Chris Peterson (D)  | 30.3 | 442,754 | |
 | Daniel Cottam (L) | 3.5 | 51,393 | |
 | Gregory Duerden (Independent American Party of Utah) | 1.8 | 25,810 | |
| Madeline Kazantzis (Independent) (Write-in) | 1.3 | 18,988 | ||
 | Kristena Conlin (Independent) (Write-in) | 0.1 | 937 | |
 | Richard Whitney (Independent) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 230 | |
| Tyler Batty (Independent) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 12 | ||
| Total votes: 1,458,878 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for Governor of Utah
Spencer Cox defeated Jon Huntsman, Gregory Hughes, and Thomas Wright in the Republican primary for Governor of Utah on June 30, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Spencer Cox | 36.1 | 190,565 |
 | Jon Huntsman | 34.9 | 184,246 | |
 | Gregory Hughes | 21.0 | 110,835 | |
 | Thomas Wright | 7.9 | 41,532 | |
| Total votes: 527,178 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Jan Garbett (R)
Democratic convention
Democratic convention for Governor of Utah
The following candidates ran in the Democratic convention for Governor of Utah on April 25, 2020.
Candidate | ||
 | Neil Hansen (D) | |
| Ryan Jackson (D) | ||
 | Zachary Moses (D) | |
| ✔ | | Chris Peterson (D) |
 | Nikki Pino (D) | |
 | Archie Williams III (D) | |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican convention
Republican Convention for Governor of Utah
The following candidates advanced in the ranked-choice voting election: Gregory Hughes in round 6 , and Spencer Cox in round 6 . The results of Round are displayed below. To see the results of other rounds, use the dropdown menu above to select a round and the table will update.
|
Total votes: 3,579 |
|||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
2012
Huntsman launched his campaign to run in the 2012 presidential election on June 21, 2011 in Liberty State Park, New Jersey - the same place where Ronald Reagan announced his 1980 presidential candidacy.[7] Huntsman chose not to compete in the Iowa straw poll on August 13, 2011, choosing instead to focus on primary elections in Florida, New Hampshire, and South Carolina. Despite his non-participation in the poll, he was able to garner 69 votes - enough for a second-to-last finish.[8]
On January 16, 2012, Huntsman ended his bid for the Republican nomination. He endorsed Mitt Romney.[3]
2008
On November 4, 2008, Jon Huntsman/Gary Herbert won re-election to the office of Governor/Lt. Governor of Utah. They defeated Bob Springmeyer/Valdez, Dell Schanze/Hobbs and Doughton in the general election.
| Governor/Lt. Governor of Utah, 2008 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Jon Huntsman/Gary Herbert Incumbent |
77.6% | 734,049 | |
| Democratic | Bob Springmeyer/Valdez | 19.7% | 186,503 | |
| Libertarian | Dell Schanze/Hobbs | 2.6% | 24,820 | |
| Write-In | Doughton | 0% | 153 | |
| Total Votes | 945,525 | |||
| Election results via Utah Lieutenant Governor. | ||||
2004
In November 2004, Huntsman was elected Utah Governor with 57% of the vote, defeating Democratic Party nominee Scott Matheson, Jr.[9]
| Governor/Lt. Governor of Utah, 2004 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Jon Huntsman/Gary Herbert |
57.7% | 531,190 | |
| Democratic | Matheson/Hale | 41.3% | 380,359 | |
| PC | Larsen/Shadowind | 0.9% | 8,399 | |
| Write-In | Fonua | 0% | 12 | |
| Total Votes | 919,960 | |||
| Election results via Elections.utah.gov | ||||
Campaign themes
2020
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Jon Huntsman did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
Issues
Presidential preference
2016
On October 8, 2016, after The Washington Post released a 2005 video of Donald Trump making comments about women that the Post described as "extremely lewd," Huntsman called on Trump to step aside as the 2016 Republican nominee for president.[10][11]
- See also: Republican reactions to 2005 Trump tape
2012
Jon Huntsman Jr. endorsed Mitt Romney in the 2012 presidential election.
Political Policies
As governor, Huntsman lists economic development, healthcare reform, education, and energy security as his top priorites. He has overseen large tax cuts and has advocated reorganizing the way that services are distributed so they the government will not become overwhelmed by the state's fast growing population. Huntsman would like to expand healthcare, mainly through the private sector, by using tax breaks and negotiation to keep prices down. He also advocates encouraging people with insurance to use it as preventive care. The governor also sees Utah as being uncompetitive with the rest of the nation in terms of securing the best teachers.[12]
Huntsman is receptive to environmental issues and would like the state to reduce fuel and energy consumption. He is also concerned with nuclear waste being stored within his state. On hot button social issues, such as abortion, gay marriage, and gun control, Huntsman generally walks a more conservative line. He also defines his taxation policy as "business friendly."[13]
Personal
Huntsman's maternal grandfather David B. Haight was an Apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, of which Huntsman and his family are also members. Huntsman has eight brothers and sisters and over 60 nieces and nephews on his side of the family.[14]
Huntsman is a seventh-generation Utahn; his wife Mary Kaye is a first-generation Utahn. Together they have seven children: Mary Anne (b. 1985), Abigail (b. 1988), Elizabeth (b. 1989), Jon III (b. 1991), William (b. 1993), Gracie Mei (b. 2000) who was adopted from China, and another baby girl from India, Asha Bharati (b. 2006).[14]
Huntsman is also a self-proclaimed fan of the progressive rock genre of music and on July 30, 2007, attended a concert by progressive metal band Dream Theater. Later that day, Huntsman signed a proclamation creating "Dream Theater Day" on that date for the state of Utah.[14]
Noteworthy events
On June 10, 2020, Huntsman announced that he had tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.[15]
See also
2020 Elections
External links
- Search Google News for this topic
- National Governors Association - Utah Governor Jon Huntsman Jr. biography
- Follow the Money - Jon M Huntsman Jr & Gary R Herbert
- On the Issues - Jon Huntsman issue positions and quotes
- Project Vote Smart - Governor Jon M. Huntsman Jr. (UT) profile
Footnotes
- ↑ Salt Lake Tribune, "Huntsman out as guv, takes new post as ambassador," August 11, 2009
- ↑ NewHampshire.watchdog.org, "Jon Huntsman in the Hunt in NH," October 17, 2011
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 New York Times, "Huntsman Says He's Quitting G.O.P Race," January 15, 2012
- ↑ WhiteHouse.gov, "Three Nominations Sent to the Senate Today," July 20, 2017
- ↑ The Salt Lake Tribune, "Jon Huntsman, U.S. ambassador to Russia, resigns to return to Utah for possible run for governor," August 6, 2019
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Project Vote Smart, "Biography of Jon Huntsman," accessed June 30, 2012
- ↑ Huffington Post, "Jon Huntsman for President: 2012 announcement kicks off campaign," June 21, 2011
- ↑ Salt Lake Tribune, "Jon Huntsman second-to-last in Iowa straw poll," August 14, 2011
- ↑ Utah election results 2004 The Washington Post, Nov. 24, 2004
- ↑ The Salt Lake Tribune, "Utah Gov. Herbert and Rep. Chaffetz pull Trump endorsements, Huntsman says Trump should drop out after explicit video leaks," October 10, 2016
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Trump recorded having extremely lewd conversation about women in 2005," October 8, 2016
- ↑ Office of the Utah Governor, "Priorities"
- ↑ On the Issues, "Jon Huntsman"
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Jon Huntsman 2012, "About Jon," accessed June 30, 2012 (dead link)
- ↑ The Hill, "Jon Huntsman tests positive for coronavirus," June 10, 2020
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