To put it bluntly, he thinks he can defeat his former boss.
“One thing that unites all Republicans is a desire to unseat Barack Obama,” says Richard Quinn, a South Carolina consultant who works on Huntsman’s campaign.
“He feels he’s the right man for the job,” says Ford O’Connell, director of the Virginia-based Civic Forum PAC.
The relatively moderate Huntsman, whose good looks and polish position him as the GOP’s Obama, may be more electable than most of his more partisan contenders. He’s also a strategic politician who sees an opening in a weak field.
“He really feels he’s somebody who can help fix economic policies,” says Mr. O’Connell. “He sees this as an opportunity to really make a difference.”
