News out late Sunday night indicating that Jon Huntsman will be ending his presidential run Monday morning and officially endorsing Mitt Romney for President.
Report from Fox News:
Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman will withdraw his bid for the Republican presidential nomination, Fox News confirmed Sunday.
Huntsman is set to announce his withdrawal from the race Monday at 11:00 a.m. at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center in South Carolina, at which time he will endorse GOP candidate Mitt Romney.
After several days of discussion with his family, friends and campaign advisers, the former Obama administration Ambassador to China told aides he is ending his presidential campaign.
“Governor Huntsman was encouraged in New Hampshire, but does not want to stand in the way of the best candidate to beat Barack Obama and will endorse Romney tomorrow,” an aide for Huntsman told Fox News.
South Carolina senior staffers for Huntsman say they are “stunned,” but partially relieved because they feel the state had been neglected by a lack of resources and attention.
“(The) Campaign never put serious resources … to promote his serious conservative record that would have beaten Obama,” Regional Southeast Political Director Adam Piper told Fox News.
Meanwhile, Romney’s campaign staffers were taken by surprise by the announcement of Huntsman’s withdrawal and planned endorsement, but are working to ensure their candidate attends the announcement Monday.
Huntsman’s departure will help Mitt Romney but I’m not sure by how much. He was polling in the low single digits but he might add another percent or two on to Romney’s total in South Carolina.
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