Jon Huntsman to Speak at CPAC Event in Orlando

On Thursday, the American Conservative Union (ACU) announced that former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, who is running for the Republican presidential nomination, will speak at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) event held in Orlando on Sept. 23.

Huntsman, who has based his campaign in Orlando, has already committed to taking part in a straw poll held by the Republican Party of Florida (RPOF) during their Presidency 5 event which will occur in Orlando at the same time as the CPAC meeting.

As a two-term Republican chief executive of one of the most conservative states in the nation, Jon Huntsman built a strong record of cutting taxes, enacting pro-growth economic policies from corralling government spending to balancing the states budget and making Utah a leading state for job creation, said ACU Chairman Al Cardenas, who had served as chairman of the RPOF. Hes been a defender of liberty and signed strong pro-life legislation restricting abortions. We look forward to Governor Huntsmans address at our inaugural regional CPAC.

Huntsman will join most of the other Republican hopefuls in speaking at the CPAC, even though U.S. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas has not confirmed that he will speak at the event despite winning CPAC straw polls in 2010 and earlier this year.

Despite high expectations at the start of the campaign, Huntsman has not caught on in the polls at either the state or the national level. Politco ran a lead story on Thursday on the tensions and feuds that have inflicted Huntsmans campaign.