With former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin announcing last week that she was not entering the Republican presidential race, former Gov. Jon Huntsman of Utah appeared on The View on ABC on Thursday and bashed the way she handled her exit. You string people along, Huntsman told the hosts. Everybody who has anything to do with politics knew she wasnt going to get in the race. She has a profit proposition, shes got a business. She makes money doing what shes doing. Who on earth is going to leave that for the uncertainty of presidential politics? ...
While Huntsman took aim at Palin, another candidate making a national television appearance on Thursday -- former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich -- praised the former Alaska governor. Appearing on Fox News, Gingrich said he hoped that Palin would back him, adding that he did not expect her to endorse any of the candidates in the immediate future ... Having pulled up stakes in Florida, where his campaign had been based, Huntsman is letting allride on New Hampshire. On Thursday, Huntsman added to this team in the Granite State, getting the personal backing of the state commander, senior vice commander and past state commander of the New Hampshire Veterans of Foreign Wars (NH VFW) ...
Leading in national polls, former Gov. Mitt Romney continues to reel in the endorsements of prominent Republicans across the nation. Last week, Romney garnered the backing of former U.S. Rep. Guy Molinari of New York who had been Staten Island borough president; U.S. Rep. Rodney Alexander, R-La.; U.S. Rep. Tim Griffin, R-Ark.; and Alabama state House Speaker Mike Hubbard ... This week, Romney also unveiled the backing of former Ambassador Jerry Carmen who served in the U.N. delegation under President Ronald Reagan and led the New Hampshire Republican Party. Romney is currently routing the field of Republican hopefuls in the Granite State, which is the home of the first presidential primary ... In the meantime, Gov. Rick Perry of Texas is looking to slow down Romneys momentum by linking him with President Barack Obama on environmental policy. The Perry team launched a Web ad on Friday accusing Romney of standing with the president in backing regulations and standards that hurt the economy ...
Businessman Herman Cain, who has moved to second or tied Romney for first in many national polls since winning the Presidency 5 straw poll in Orlando last month, has been the most vocal candidate in attacking the Occupy Wall Street movement. Cain took aim at Occupy Wall Street on the Hugh Hewitt radio show on Wednesday, arguing that protesters should focus on the Obama White House as the source of the current economic climate ... At least one of the Republican presidential hopefuls is cheering Occupy Wall Street and its a man who ran a bank for the better part of the last two decades -- former Gov. Buddy Roemer of Louisiana. Roemer said in a statement released on Wednesday that the federal government was helping Wall Street with trade policy and bailouts -- undermining Main Street and American jobs ... Cain said this week that he would be open to serving as vice president for some of the other Republican hopefuls -- but he added that he could not serve under Perry due to policy differences ... Gingrich also left the door open to being the vice presidential candidate this week. In an appearance on CNN on Wednesday, the former congressional leader said he would not rule it out but insisted that his focus was on his own presidential bid ...
The Libertarian Party of Massachusetts is holding a convention this weekend and some of the hopefuls for the partys presidential nomination will be staging a debate -- but only one candidate is confirmed to attend. Attorney Carl Person, who was the Libertarian nominee for attorney general in New York in 2006 and 2010 and is now running for the White House, will be at the debate. Writer R. Lee Wrights, who is also a candidate, will be sending a surrogate. Two other candidates said it was possible they would be at the debate but did not confirm they would participate ... Americans Elect, the group looking to nominate a presidential candidate through online voting, kicked off petition drives in two New England states -- Maine and Rhode Island -- this week. The group already has ballot access in six states and is about to file for it in California ... Vermont college professor and actor Jerry Levy has entered the race for the Socialist Partys presidential nomination. The only other candidate so far is Stewart Alexander who was the partys vice presidential candidate in 2008.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or at (850) 727-0859.
