Republican presidential candidate Jon Huntsman’s commitment to aggressively courting New Hampshire voters in recent months resulted in a third place finish in the New Hampshire Republican primary election Tuesday.
Mr. Huntsman took the podium to cheers of “country first” from his supporters, as he stood on stage with his wife and daughters.
The former Utah governor was hoping that his choice to skip campaign appearances in Iowa ahead of the Iowa caucuses last week would lead to a victory Tuesday, however in his speech Tuesday he vowed to stay in the race and take his campaign to South Carolina.
“Ladies and gentleman, I’d say third place is a ticket to ride,” said Mr. Huntsman. “Hello South Carolina! We’ve got the greatest volunteers the greatest organizers this state has ever seen, give yourselves a hand. And we proved the point, that this state wants its candidates to earn it the old fashioned way.”
Mr. Huntsman last statement there was likely a dig at rival Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney who relied on his regional ties in New Hampshire and the negative ad campaign in Iowa that gave him momentum going into the Granite state.
The third place finish by Mr. Huntsman is a sign that his campaign gained traction late, as indicated by the most recent polls prior to Tuesday’s New Hampshire Republican primary election.
The former U.S. Ambassador to China released his first television advertisement Monday, after making more on the ground campaign appearances than any of the other Republican presidential candidates in New Hampshire in recent months.
Mr. Huntsman also touted his foreign policy experience in his speech announcing the third place finish, stating that Afghanistan and Iraq should “not be in this nation’s future.”
“Our nation’s future is about how prepared we are to rise up as the American people and hit head on the competitive challenges of the 21st century,” said Mr. Huntsman. “This is about economics, and this is about education, and this is going to play out over the Pacific Ocean in countries that I have lived in before.”
