Huntsman to Exit Presidential Race and Endorse Romney

I have long thought that Jon Huntsman was the sanest and certainly the smartest of the would be GOP presidential nominees. Unfortunately, by definition, that made him unacceptable to the GOP base controlled by Christianists and Tea Party followers who seem to embrace only the dumbest and untethered of the GOP field. Now, apparently facing the reality of what the GOP has become and unwilling to sink money in a lost cause, Huntsman is dropping out of the nomination process and is said to be about to endorse Mitt Romney who hopes to prevail in South Carolina and end the candidacies of Rick Santorum - who in my opinion belongs in a mental institution - and the slimy thrice married serial adulterer, Newt Gingrich. Here are highlights from the Washington Post on Huntsman's planned exit:

Former Utah governor Jon Huntsman Jr., whose campaign for the Republican presidential nomination never took off, will quit the race Monday morning and endorse former Mas­sachusetts governor Mitt Romney, according to campaign officials with knowledge of the decision.

Huntsman’s move comes less than a week after he placed a weak third in the New Hampshire primary. He had staked his entire candidacy on a strong finish there. Despite the outcome, he had vowed to take his campaign to South Carolina, calling his finish a “ticket to ride” in the upcoming contest, despite the long odds.

By Sunday, however, he had concluded that the better course was to bow out of the race, the officials said. Huntsman will make his announcement in Myrtle Beach, and, according to one campaign official, will urge Republicans to rally behind Romney as the GOP’s best hope of defeating President Obama in November. “There was no sense standing in the way of Romney,” one Huntsman adviser said. “Every vote we took in South Carolina and Florida was from him.”

Huntsman’s decision to leave the contest and support Romney should help the former Massachusetts governor in South Carolina, as he will be the lone candidate making a direct pitch to the establishment wing of the GOP.

The rest of the field — former House speaker Newt Gingrich (Ga.), former senator Rick Santor­um (Pa.) and Texas Gov. Rick Perry — are appealing to the party’s most conservative voters. Rep. Ron Paul (Tex.) has his own constituency, which is expected to continue to deliver votes for him.

Huntsman’s record as governor included conservative and moderate elements, but he never found a constituency upon which to base his campaign. As a candidate, he seemed out of step with a party that had shifted sharply to the right while he was in Beijing.