So it may seem a little weird that I have a favorite Republican Presidential candidate given that I in all likelihood will vote for President Obama. That not withstanding I still have a Republican Nominee that I think would be the best for their party and for the country should he win the election.
I can easily say that my favorite nominee is John Huntsman. I think that Huntsman has not gotten the amount of press that he has deserved up until very recently. I believe that Huntsman has not gotten the press because he is not catering to the Evangelical Christian vote that makes up a large chuck of the Iowa Primary vote. (My questioning on why does Iowa hold so much power is another blog for another day) By being a social moderate, possibly even social liberal, he has caused himself to not get the attention he deserves for thoughtful conservative economic policies, and his detailed foreign policies. His other major flaw from getting press I believe was his time spent in China. While some candidates (Romney, Mitt) have been campaigning since November of 2008, Huntsman was working in China for the Obama administration. I think his late entry into the race and his affiliation with the Obama administration helped put him behind the press power curve.
Needless to say Huntsman did not fare very well in the Iowa Caucus. I believe that he knew it was out of his reach given his moderate social stances and is rightly focusing on New Hampshire, a state with a much larger group of moderates. The only question remains can he gain enough ground in New Hampshire to make sticking around in the campaign worth while? New Hampshire is Mitt Romney's primary to lose, but I think a solid second place finish by Huntsman could keep him in the race for a bit longer. This would allow for a larger number of Americans to get to know him, and maybe him win the Republican race.
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