Huntsman hints at bid announcement

SALT LAKE CITY — Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. told CNN that he will announce his intention to seek the presidency later this month. During an interview on the network's State of the Union program that will air Sunday, Huntsman said, "We're about a week and a half out...we are right at the end point."

Huntsman, who resigned from his post as the U.S. Ambassador to China in April, has been considering a bid to seek the 2012 Republican nomination for president for some time.

During a visit to Utah last month, Huntsman Jr. said he and his family were gathering to talk about whether he should run for president. At the time he said, "This is not an easy decision to make. It carries with it wide-ranging implications for us immediately and for people around us … and we want to make sure we're pretty methodical and contemplative as we go about making that decision."

A Utah political analyst said Huntsman's strongly worded hint at an official announcement does little to change the GOP political landscape. BYU political science professor Quin Monson told the Deseret News that Huntsman "has been rumored to be running all along," and his fate will ultimately be decided by who else chooses to seek the Republican nomination.

"If (former New York City Mayor Rudy) Guiliani gets in (the race), he and Huntsman are looking to appeal to the same moderate Republican voters who … don't turn out in great numbers in Republican primaries," Monson said. "It will be interesting to see how he portrays himself as a presidential candidate and before a Republican primary electorate."

He said Huntsman began his stint as governor as a conservative, but eventually became more moderate.

Recently, Huntsman has stepped up his politicking, dining with several GOP senators in Washington D.C. a few days ago and having lunch with former President George H.W. Bush on a visit to Maine in May.

Huntsman's father, Jon Huntsman Sr., said he just wants his son "to be happy."

"He's a very talented and wonderful individual and we're very honored to be his parents," Hunstman Sr. said. "We're excited on whatever decision he makes."

Former Massachusetts governor and SLOC chief Mit Romney announced his presidential intentions in New Hampshire earlier this month. In addition, several other candidates have also thrown their hats in the ring, including former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, Texas congressman Ron Paul and former business executive Herman Cain are already in.