Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. will be rubbing shoulders Saturday night with Washington, D.C., and Hollywood elite at the annual White House Correspondents' Association dinner, as the guest of USA Today.

The black-tie dinner, hosted by comedian Wanda Sykes, is expected to be attended by President Barack Obama, as well as a long list of big-name reporters, political insiders and celebrities, including actors Tim Daly and Richard Belzer, also guests of USA Today.

The coveted invitation is just the latest evidence that Huntsman is making a mark on the national political scene. Increasingly touted as a potential candidate for the GOP presidential nomination in 2012, the governor has traveled to several key Republican primary states in recent months.

Huntsman spokeswoman Lisa Roskelley said not to make too much of the governor's appearance at the high-profile party.

"He received several invitations," Roskelley said. "Since he was actually going to be in the area because he leaves for Israel on Sunday, it was something that worked into his schedule. He felt like it would be an interesting event."

The governor is leading a group of Utah companies on a weeklong trade mission to Israel that includes stops in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. But before heading overseas, Roskelley said, he has a number of national media interviews in Washington.

One event not on the governor's schedule, however, is a Friday night Republican Governors Association fundraising dinner hosted by South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford.

The association had hoped to get Huntsman there to fill in for Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who cancelled plans to co-host the fundraiser because of flooding in her state. Palin is also skipping the White House Correspondents' dinner.

Huntsman, though, will be in Pennsylvania on Friday night celebrating the birthday of his daughter, Liddy, who is attending college there, Roskelley said.

According to CNN, Huntsman was the choice to co-host the event after Palin dropped out and another potential GOP presidential contender, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, was unable to attend.

The cable news network described Huntsman on its Web site as "another hot property in Republican circles."

E-MAIL: lisa@desnews.com