Jon Huntsman surprised many Republican voters on Monday when he withdrew from the race to become the GOP nominee for President. While doing so, Huntsman endorsed front-runner Mitt Romney calling him the “best equipped” to stop Barack Obama’s bid for re-election in November’s general election. Now, Republican fundraisers tell GaySocialites.com exclusively that Huntsman might top Romney’s short-list of choices to run on his ticket as Vice-President.
Things actually looked good for the former Utah Governor going into the last week of campaigning before South Carolina Republicans head to the polls for the first primary in a southern state. After finishing in third place at the recent New Hampshire primary, Huntsman picked up the endorsement of the one of the state’s largest newspapers over the weekend. While those might seem like more of a reason for Huntsman to stay in the race rather than bow out, he stepped down in South Carolina on Monday.
Republican fundraisers, who spoke anonymously, told GaySocialites.com exclusively that Huntsman is on the radar for a significant appointment in Romney’s administration if he wins the race and the White House. Hunstman could also end up on the GOP ticket as Romney’s nominee for VP.
“Huntsman hasn’t been the best at raising money, but he did have some hefty pledges from significant [political action committees],” the source scooped. “It’s those PACs and his likeability among Southern conservative voters that put him at the top of Romney’s list when it comes to Vice Presidential picks.”
The anonymous source went on to inform GaySocialites.com exclusively that they have already heard the Romney campaign throwing around the possibility of asking Huntsman to join the ticket.
“I’ve had limited exposure to Romney’s campaign,” the source admitted saying their involvement is generally limited to raising money for the general election. “However, we have discussed future fundraising possibilities since it looks like he will be our nominee when it is all said and done,” our source added. “I can tell you that Huntsman was near the top of Romney’s list then, so it wouldn’t surprise me if his performance in New Hampshire and his endorsement by ‘the State’ didn’t seal the deal for a Vice Presidential run.”
While quitting the race on Monday, Huntsman told supporters in Myrtle Beach that during his seven month campaign, he learned “an even greater appreciation for American democracy.” Fueling any suspicion of intentions to be Romney’s running mate, Huntsman was quick with his endorsement of the Republican front-runner and kind with his words about his former opponent. He even ignored questions from reporters regarding his recent claims that Romney was both “unelectable” and “out of touch.” Hunstman also spent time outlining his hopes for the future signaling that some sort of run for office in the future is inevitable.
