Huntsman's presidential profile still rising

Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr.'s national profile continues to rise, with the

Washington Post on Tuesday labeling him the "Next Big Thing" in politics — and a

potential presidential candidate in 2012.

In his blog, "The Fix," the Post's Chris Cillizza says, Huntsman "certainly

has the look and feel of a future presidential candidate" but warns that his

Mormon faith would be a major obstacle.

The former White House correspondent for Roll Call magazine in Washington

says Huntsman's appeal includes pushing for bipartisanship in "ruby-red"

Republican Utah as well as his progressive views on environmental issues.

Huntsman is described as openly critical of national Republican leadership,

including the campaign of the party's presidential nominee, Arizona Sen. John

McCain. Huntsman was an early and loyal backer of McCain, despite the popularity

in Utah of McCain's primary opponent, Mitt Romney.

Romney's likely bid in 2012 is cited as a problem for a Huntsman candidacy,

as is being a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Cillizza says the opposition that surfaced against Romney's Mormon faith in the

2008 GOP primary proves there are voters who believe "Mormonism to be a cult and

simply will not support any candidate who adheres to its tenets."

There may not be room for two Mormons in the race, Cillizza says. Voters who

won't cite gender or race as a reason not to support a candidate have "no such

hesitation to voicing opposition to a Mormon candidate," he said.

Cillizza uses Huntsman to launch a new feature on "the next set of party

leaders, presidential candidates and other elected officials who will help shape

the political landscape in the next four years or so."

The blog posting isn't the first time Huntsman has attracted the attention of

the national media since the Republicans lost the White House. A week after the

election, the online news source, Politico.com, cited Huntsman as a prospect in 2012.

And Huntsman has acknowledged being contacted by members of President-elect

Barack Obama's transition team about his interest in joining the new

administration. Late last month, Huntsman traveled to Washington to present the

Western Governors' Association's proposed national energy policy to the

transition team.

While the governor has said repeatedly he plans to serve out his second term,

he has also been vocal about what the national GOP needs to do to appeal to

voters. Huntsman, who heads the WGA, said governors should take the lead.

But he told the Deseret News just days after the election that he saw himself

only as a governor with four years left in office.

"I didn't see myself on a state level five years ago, so you can't even throw

that one out," Huntsman said when asked about his interest in a presidential

run. "Politics is a lot of serendipity."