John Huntsman, former Utah governor and Obama-appointed Ambassador to China, has tossed his name into the overcrowded ring for the Republican nomination for President of the United States. What's unique about him? He's a straight Republican that advocates for civil unions for gay couples.
He appears to be succeeding with his courting of the gay vote, with one LGBT GOP group, the Log Cabin Republicans, seeming to throw their support behind the newcomer to the Presidential race.
"...on the eve of the Republican's official kickoff, a consultant for the campaign is fundraising off his support for civil unions.
"The email from Charles T. Moran, a vice chair with the California Log Cabin Republicans and a political consultant, highlights Huntsman and his wife Mary Kaye's support for the LGBT community, adding as Utah's governor he's 'talked the talk and walked the walk,' and is 'unique in his desire to have a fully inclusive campaign.'
"Team Huntsman confirmed Moran, who couldn't be reached, is working for the campaign. His campaign noted that his stand on gay rights is essentially what George W. Bush's was."
Video of his speech:
This is very very interesting to me. We might have found a Republican that has a chance of actually gaining the moderate vote, something previous candidates have thus far failed due to their being completely and utterly batshit crazy (yes, Santorum, I'm talking to you). Do you think Huntsman has the bipartisan cred to challenge Obama should he win the nomination?
I know it's way too early to be criticizing this dude, but...he appears to be sort of douche. The smile when he announces he candidacy is like, "Hey, look! No hands!" But, then again, the first candidacy speech I ever saw was Obama's and I'm still in love with his speaking style.
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