USA: Republican presidential candidate John Huntsman greets primary voters outside a polling station in New Hampshire

Record ID: 346491

  • Title: USA: Republican presidential candidate John Huntsman greets primary voters outside a polling station in New Hampshire
  • Date: 11th January 2012
  • Summary: MANCHESTER, NEW HAMPSHIRE, UNITED STATES (JANUARY 10, 2012) (REUTERS) REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE JOHN HUNTSMAN GREETS SUPPORTERS HUNTSMAN TALKS TO VOTERS ACCOMPANIED BY WIFE MARY KAYE VARIOUS HUNTSMAN TALKING TO SUPPORTERS HUNTSMAN HEADING TOWARDS CAR HUNTSMAN GETS INTO CAR SUPPORTERS HOLDING HUNTSMAN PLACARDS CAR DRIVES AWAY
  • Embargoed: 26th January 2012 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Usa, Usa
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA6CSP0O9IGF0B55KTCBF652VAX
  • Story Text: As voting got underway in New Hampshire on Tuesday (January 9, 2012), pollsters reported that the former Governor of Utah Jon Huntsman was in a tight race against rival Texas Congressman Ron Paul for second place in the first primary of the Republican presidential nomination.
    Polls show that the large lead of the former Governor of Massachusetts Mitt Romney in New Hampshire was shrinking slightly. But still Romney's cushion was sufficient enough to force leading rivals Paul, who appeals to New Hampshire's anti-government strain, and Huntsman, who has campaigned almost exclusively in the state, into a battle to be a strong runner-up.
    Huntsman made a campaign stop at a polling station in Manchester armed with a smile and flanked by his wife, Mary Kaye on Tuesday afternoon.
    He was greeted by a crowd of supporters, media and a handful of Romney supporters, who booed him when he arrived.
    Huntsman carries the baggage - or diplomatic pouch - of being President Barack Obama's man in China, a coveted job except for many Republicans who think he conspired with the Democrats in the White House.
    A Suffolk University/7 News tracking poll on Tuesday showed Romney with 37 percent support among New Hampshire voters, versus 18 percent for Paul, 16 percent for Huntsman, 11 percent for Santorum, 9 percent for Gingrich and 1 percent for Texas Governor Rick Perry.
    Winners of the small New England state have had mixed success in getting their party's nomination, a fact that raises questions about the primary's relevance. John McCain won the Republican primary in 2000 but lost the bid to George W. Bush. In 2008, Hillary Clinton won the Democratic primary but the party nod went to Obama.
    Critics of the New Hampshire primary say it is arcane, unrepresentative and given undue media attention. Defenders say it acts as a leveler between the more politically conservative Iowa and South Carolina Republican contests.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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