Former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman is set to end his bid for the GOP Presidential nomination, the National Journal reported Sunday.
The Journal added:
Huntsman, who served as President Obama's ambassador to China, positioned himself as a pragmatic alternative to other Republican candidates. But he largely failed to catch fire, finishing a disappointing third place in New Hampshire after skipping the Iowa caucuses.
The Journal also reported Huntsman will endorse former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney when he makes his announcement at 11 am EST at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center.
Romney has been endorsed by a number of Republicans, including Sen. John McCain, former Senator Bob Dole and Washington Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers.
The New York Times reported that Huntsman was set to participate in a debate Monday evening.
“The governor and his family, at this point in the race, decided it was time for Republicans to rally around a candidate who could beat Barack Obama and turn around the economy,” said campaign manager Matt David.
The Times also noted:
A third-place finish in the New Hampshire primary last week failed to jump start his flagging candidacy, aides said, and his campaign limped into South Carolina with little money. Mr. Huntsman has spent days pondering his future in the race, but aides said that he concluded he was unlikely to topple Mitt Romney or match the momentum of his Republican rivals in the conservative Southern primary.
Hot Air's Ed Morrissey opined:
That was the obvious conclusion after Tuesday’s third-place finish, far back of Romney in the state Huntsman made his stand. Earlier this week, I asked where Huntsman thought his path to victory lay, because it certainly wasn’t going to be South Carolina, Florida, or Michigan. It took Huntsman a few more days than everyone else, but eventually recognized reality.
Sunday evening, radio talk show host Bill Cunningham thought that a Huntsman candidacy would be the best choice since he was a former Obama appointee. But Huntsman's campaign never caught fire with the conservative base of the party.
As Morrissey wrote, Huntsman "governed in Utah as a conservative in a state controlled by the GOP, but talked like a centrist who despised conservatives."
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