Jon Huntsman will soon be the latest Republican entering the 2012 race. Speaking at an event on foreign policy with Henry Kissinger, the former Utah Governor said he will announce his candidacy next Tuesday. The former ambassador to China under the Obama administration says his time living abroad and viewing the country from the outside has convinced him to run. Huntsman is expected to make the announcement at New Jersey’s Liberty Park, with the statue of liberty in the background. It’s the same place where Ronald Reagan formally kicked off his 1980 general election campaign.
Huntsman’s candidacy could be a threat to Mitt Romney. The former Massachusetts governor stayed in New Hampshire after Monday’s Republican debate to hit the campaign trail yesterday. At one stop, Romney was asked about tea party groups who say they are trying to block his nomination. He responded that he lines up well with the tea party because they both want to see smaller government.
Another potential challenger to Romney is Texas Governor Rick Perry. The Governor now says that he is seriously thinking about a run for President. In a speech at a Republican event in New York City yesterday, Perry said, “Conservatives are alive and well in this country and we are going to send a message in 2011 and 2012.”