Jon Huntsman Announcement Expected After June 13 GOP Debate

Former Utah governor and U.S. Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman is expected to officially announce his presidential campaign within the next few weeks, but definitely after the Republican debate in New Hampshire scheduled for June 13.

The potential candidate has confirmed that campaign operations are already being set up in Florida. Not many details have been released yet, but Hunstman told reporters at the Faith and Freedom Coalition that he’ll start his candidacy “at an appropriate time or place, just to hold you in a little bit of suspense.”

Huntsman abruptly stepped down from his ambassadorship in April amidst speculation that he would challenge his former boss, President Obama, in the 2012 election. Since then, he has had to defend himself from accusations that he was too chummy with the Commander-in-Chief.

Unlike other candidates who were pressured by their families to stay out of the race, Huntsman’s wife Mary Kaye has been called “the unreluctant spouse,” actively encouraging her husband to run for president.

When Huntsman finally announces, he will be the fourth former governor to enter the race, after Gary Johnson, Tim Pawlenty, and Mitt Romney.

h/t CNN

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