Jon Huntsman, Jr.
Governor Jon Huntsman Jr. is a Republican candidate for President with extensive political experience spanning decades. He was the 16th Governor of Utah and has served in four White House administrations. He was a White House staff assistant for Ronald Regan, served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce, US Ambassador to Singapore, Deputy US Trade Representative, CEO of the Huntsman Corporation, and most recently, he was appointed US Ambassador to China by President Obama. He recently resigned this post to run for President in April 2011.
As Governor of Utah, Huntsman cut taxes by more than $400 million and earned a staggering 78% of the vote for reelection. During his tenure, he also achieved a 90% approval rating.
A self-identified ‘center-right conservative’, Hunstman is a fiscal conservative and a strong supporter of tax cuts. On social issues, however, Huntsman has proven to be moderate and reasonable, marginalizing him from the Tea Party. His position on the legal recognition of gay and lesbian couples is more progressive than his rivals in the race, and he supports limited rights for couples, stopping short of the full legal recognition afforded by marriage. He is a proponent for allowing states to vote on the rights of gay and lesbian citizens and touts the Defense of Marriage Act for acting as a "safeguard."
He has said that he has always been in favor of greater equality for gays and lesbians and supports granting rights to lesbian and gay couples in the form of civil unions. He appears to ride the fence between civil unions and marriage saying that he is in favor of granting greater rights to loving and committed couples, but supports barring couples from getting married.
In a final attempt to establish himself in this campaign, Huntsman has recently moved his campaign headquarters to New Hampshire where he hopes to win the primary. His recent numbers show that he has a chance even though he has consistently ranked among third-tier candidates. Hunstman did not participate in the Ames Straw Poll because of his opposition to ethanol subsidies.
In an Iowa poll from The Des Moines Register conducted before the Iowa caucus, Huntsman garnered only 2% support. Mitt Romney led with 24%, Ron Paul second with 22%, and Rick Santorum third with 15%.
In the Iowa caucus, Huntsman finished last with less than 1% of the votes. Mitt Romney won with 24.6%, Rick Santorum second with 24.5%, and Ron Paul third with 21%.
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Keep checking back with us for the latest information on Jon Huntsman, Jr. and marriage equality.
"[The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA)] serves a useful purpose... It allows states to make their own decisions, to make their own way, and the Defense of Marriage Act, I think, is a safeguard for those states to make that decision."
12/8/11, Washington Blade
"I believe in civil unions. I think we can do a better job in this country as it relates to equality, and basic reciprocal beneficiary rights. I am in favor of traditional marriage. I don't think you can redefine it without getting in trouble. But, I think along with that, we can have civil unions. I think this country has arrived at a point in time when we can show a little more equality, and respect. Leave it to the states, I think it's a state issue that ought to be driven by discussions in various states. And you've got the Defense of Marriage Act that basically is a safeguard that allows that to happen."
8/22/11, CNN
"I believe in civil unions because I think this nation can do a better job when it comes to equality."
8/11/11, PoliticsNewsNews, Fox Republican Debates
"I think redefining marriage is something that would be impossible and it's something that I would not be in favor of...we have not done an adequate job in the area of equality."
6/22/11, ThinkProgress
"Well, I’ve always been in favor of greater equality. My first year in office I ran a…reciprocal beneficiary rights piece of legislation. It failed, but my first year in office I wanted to see if we could do more in the name of individual rights. And I’ve always thought that we were a little bit behind in terms of equality for people born under the same constitution."
2/24/09, Politico
When asked if he supports civil unions for gay and lesbian couples:
"Well, its something I have given a lot of thought to and the answer is yes. ... I believe in traditional marriage. I always have. But I also believe there's more we can do in terms of enhancing those individual rights for others."
2/10/09, ABC 4 News
