Can Jon Huntsman get some respect from Republicans? In a word: No.
Rush Limbaugh says he should run as a Democrat. Tea partiers doubt his conservative credentials. Many just can't get over the fact that he served as the Obama administration's ambassador to China.
Huntsman didn't endear himself to Florida Republicans when he abruptly reassigned staffers from his Orlando headquarters to New Hampshire and called this week's Presidency 5 summit "diminished."
The former Utah governor was lavishly praised last month by the Wall Street Journal for his economic plan. The program is patterned after the success of his days in Utah, when that state led the nation in job creation. It also borrowed heavily from the recommendations of Obama's bipartisan Bowles-Simpson deficit commission.
In brief, Huntsman would create three personal income tax rates -- 8 percent, 14 percent and 23 percent -- and pay for those lower rates by eliminating "all deductions and credits."
He calls for the repeal of Obamacare and the Dodd-Frank financial regulation law, while cutting rules at the Environmental Protection Agency, the Food and Drug Administration and the National Labor Relations Board.
He also would privatize Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac "and let the housing market clear in order to lay the groundwork for renewed growth."
Contrasting Huntsman's growth agenda with what it derided as Mitt Romney's "59 economic flavors" and Rick Perry's still-to-be-detailed plans, the Wall Street Journal said the Utah governor's proposal "is as impressive as any to date in the GOP presidential field, and certainly better than what we've seen from the front-runners."
But Huntsman hasn't been able to parlay Wall Street applause into Main Street support. His performance in the debates has been stiff and impersonal, and unless he turns that around at the Presidency 5 debate on Thursday, his campaign may be the next casualty.
Huntsman's reluctance to spend his personal fortune has raised questions about his commitment to the race. Turnover among his senior staff has instilled more doubts.
The campaign's communication staff is almost incommunicado. E-mail requests go unanswered and voice mailboxes are perpetually full. Calls to his Orlando headquarters are generally met with a recorded message saying the staff is unavailable.
"Huntsman is a second-tier candidate unless he puts his money in," says Rick Wilson, a Florida-based GOP consultant.
For all of his organizational difficulties on the campaign trail, it's ironic that Huntsman, who served as CEO of his family's Huntsman Corp., led Utah when it was named the "Best Managed State in America" by the Pew Research Center.
Indeed, Huntsman does have a few admirers in Florida.
"It's important to note that Jon Huntsman still has some very talented staff -- David Johnson, Marc Reichelderfer -- working for him in Florida. But his decision to headquarter in Florida has yet to bear any real fruit," says Peter Schorsch, who edits the website, SaintPetersBlog.com.
Schorsch, who half-jokingly says he represents "the Democratic wing of the Republican Party," compliments Huntsman when he says, "Jon Huntsman isn't necessarily a Charlie Crist Republican, but his campaign is what a Charlie Crist bid for the White House (had he remained governor) would have looked like."
Former Gov. Jeb Bush, who has yet to name a favorite in the contest, told Fox News' Neil Cavuto recently that he likes Huntsman "a lot."
Saying she is "tired of Republican candidates stirring up anger and disgust," state Sen. Paula Dockery, R-Lakeland, has been impressed by Huntsman.
"I want to deal in facts, and reach across the aisle. Here's a guy who's diplomatic. He's a successful businessman. Served under Reagan, Bush and Obama. He has the demeanor of what a leader should be," Dockery said.
But Dockery acknowledges that Huntsman's chances "look poor" as he is raked over the coals for his heterodox views on global warming and "green" energy, and appearing generally less conservative than the rest of the GOP field.
"You have to acknowledge science ... and that makes him a RINO?" Dockery asked.
Chris Ingram, a Tampa-based Republican strategist, calls Huntsman a "dynamic guy who would give Obama the best run for his money."
But Ingram has long doubted Huntsman's ability to survive the GOP primary gauntlet.
"Will hard-core conservatives and tea partiers warm up to him? My guess is no," he said.
Roger Stone, a veteran GOP operative whose tenure at the Nixon White House overlapped briefly with Huntsman's father, Jon Sr., said the younger Huntsman isn't exactly a chip off the old block.
By signing a law that issued driver's licenses to illegal aliens in Utah and continuing to tout "green" energy initiatives, the former governor appears out of step with his party.
"What's his rationale?" Stone asks. "There aren't any moderate Republicans."
Despite his stumbles on the campaign trail, Huntsman has gathered a high-profile team of economic advisers, including John Mack, executive chairman of the board of Morgan Stanley; Phil Knight, co-founder and chairman of Nike; and Tom Bell, former chairman of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
Also on board -- and burnishing Huntsman's credentials as a less-than-devout Mormon -- is casino boss Gary Loveman, chief executive officer and president of Caesars Entertainment Corp.
Yet while Huntsman ramps up his campaign in New Hampshire and commits to spending more time in the Granite State, political observers doubt his staying power.
Mike Dennehy, a longtime GOP strategist who also worked on John McCain's successful 2008 primary win, told ABC News that Huntsman "is a bit of a mystery" because of what he sees as a shifting strategy and "a lack of a focused message."
"At this point Jon Huntsman has thoroughly confused the New Hampshire voter," Dennehy said.
Huntsman was not available for this article, but his spokesman, Tim Miller, promised last month that the campaign was not writing off Florida.
And returning Bush's kind words, Miller related, "Governor Huntsman is a big admirer of Governor Bush. He was a terrific governor and continues to be at the tip of the spear in advocating for smarter and smaller government."
Contact Kenric Ward at kward@sunshinestatenews.com or at (772) 801-5341.
