Gov. Huntsman has role in reshaping the GOP

When Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. delivers a proposed national energy policy from the Western Governors Association to President-elect Barack Obama in the coming weeks, he'll also be doing his part to rebuild the GOP.

Huntsman and other Republicans nationwide are looking at ways the party needs to change to avoid another loss like that suffered by their presidential nominee, Sen. John McCain of Arizona.

"When the consumer repudiates your policies nationally, then you know you've got to do a better job in retooling and repackaging, in marketing them so you get something that represents greater voter appeal," he said.

The governor, who campaigned around the country for McCain, called the election results "a serious letdown." He said the party needs to update its core issues to reflect what matters to a majority of voters.

Energy is one of those issues, he said.

The WGA policy, which Huntsman said has the support of 20 of the 22 Western governors, is a bipartisan effort. But the governor said it represents an opportunity to show that Republicans can cooperate with Democrats and produce results.

Huntsman has bucked his own party in Utah to support a climate change initiative championed by moderate GOP Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger as well as a WGA immigration initiative that called for a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants.

Some Republicans are already touting Huntsman as a likely leader in the reshaping of the national party. "Huntsman has a very bright future," said Tim Bridgewater, who served as McCain's Utah-based Western states regional coordinator.

The governor said the party's future will likely dominate next week's meeting of the Republican Governors Association in Miami. Huntsman said governors should have a key role in redirecting the GOP's path.

"I look forward to participating in those discussions," he said. "It's a good thing for governors to participate in this debate because it's out in the states where real things are happening. We have to manage, we have to lead, we have to put forward ideas."

Huntsman also said Republicans should look to the nation's governors when choosing a candidate for the White House in 2012. "I think the party's going to look to people who have actually lived what they are preaching," he said.

But he stopped short of saying McCain's choice for vice president, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, has earned the nomination next time around. Palin has been blamed by some in the GOP for McCain's big loss to Obama.