In a Republican primary focused on which conservative would emerge as the anti-Romney, Jon Huntsman was unable to position himself as anything more than a mini-Romney. His blend of moderate and conservative positions, as well as his Mormon faith, combined to cast Huntsman as too similar to Mormon Mitt Romney and therefore unable to overcome the former Massachusetts governor's huge advantage in name recognition, funding and organization.
Huntsman's fate was sealed last week in the New Hampshire primary, when he finished third. From the beginning, Huntsman knew that his hopes rested in New Hampshire. The former Utah governor virtually skipped Iowa and its January 3 caucuses, instead spending months in New Hampshire to hold more than 150 events as he crossed the state extolling his independence, trustworthiness and experience. In the end, Huntsman got just 17% of the vote in New Hampshire, behind Romney at 39% and Texan Paul at 23%. The results of the poll led to Huntsman's decision to drop out and back Romney.
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