Huntsman moves campaign headquarters to New Hampshire
Jon Huntsman is moving his presidential campaign headquarters from Florida to New Hampshire, The New York Times reports.
The decision, according to the Times, signals that Huntsman's strategy is now "wholly dependent" on winning the country's first primary.
“This move will ensure that we have the resources necessary to win the first in the nation primary,” Huntsman campaign manager Matt David told the Times. “Success in New Hampshire is vital for our campaign to have the momentum we need to succeed in South Carolina, Florida and the states that follow.”
The Associated Press reports that move also shows that Huntsman has had trouble raising the money necessary to maintain the staff he hired in South Carolina and Florida, two other early primary states.
“It is taking advantage of the chaotic nature of this primary by pushing resources where significant traction is beginning to occur,” Huntsman strategist John Weaver told the AP in an email. “Making this extra push in New Hampshire is prudent and will make a big difference at this point of attack tactically for Gov. Huntsman."
Reuters reports that Huntsman, the former Utah governor and U.S. ambassador to China, attracted 10 percent support in a recent poll of New Hampshire Republicans, but he still badly trailed former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, who had 41 percent support in the same poll and is favored to win the state's primary. In a Fox News poll released this week, Huntsman came in at 4 percent support nationally.
Earlier this week, The Wall Street Journal speculated that Huntsman's poor showings in recent national polls could keep him out of CNN's next Republican debate on October 18.
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