Current Position:Former Governor of Utah, US Ambassador to China; Businessman
Age:51
Background:Born in Palo Alto, California to billionaire businessman Jon Huntsman, Sr. Dropped out of high school to play in a band but latter got a GED and eventfully graduated from college. Diplomat for George HW Bush, George W Bush, and Barack Obama; and worked for the family chemical business in between the Bushes.
Family:Married to Mary Kaye and father of seven children.
Education:University of Pennsylvania, B.A.
Religion:Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormon)
Abortion:Huntsman, as Governor, signed many bills restricting the availability of abortion. One such bill was banning second-trimester abortions.
Budget/Spending:Huntsman brings his business background to government spending. In Utah, he maintained a budget surplus his entire tenure, and he wants the US to have a federal balanced budget amendment.
Economy/Jobs:Huntsman hangs his jobs program on a tax structure overhaul and simplification of the regulatory climate. While Governor, Utah was raked the #1 in job growth.
Energy:Huntsman originally endorsed the concept of cap-and-trade but changed his position in 2011 saying “it hasn’t worked.”
Foreign Policy:Huntsman is the only Republican candidate with hands-on experience in foreign policy. He served a major foreign policy role in three Presidential Administrations, all in the Far East.
Guns:Huntsman supports the Second Amendment right to bear arms. He vetoed an assault weapon ban.
Health Care:Huntsman instituted health care reform in Utah utilizing the free-market system that allowed citizens to negotiate their own coverage.
Immigration:Huntsman desires to end the patchwork of state laws on immigration and “just secure the border.” He vetoed repeal of college tuition for illegal immigrants and doesn’t believe a fence is the be-all, end-all solution.
Social Security:Huntsman believes the current trajectory of Social Security is unsustainable and says that Americans must accept that entitlements will be different in the future. He suggests that means testing could be an option.
Taxes:Huntsman implemented a $400 million tax cut in Utah and received the Cato Institute’s highest ranking for overall fiscal policy. He wants to drastically simplify the US tax code in a revenue-neutral way.
