Huntsman on 2016 run: No thanks

Jon Huntsman’s days on the campaign trail are over.

The former Utah governor, who ran a short-lived presidential campaign in 2012, said he would not run in 2016 and has no plans to run for governor again.


“I can’t describe a pathway through the early primary states up to Super Tuesday, and if you can’t find that pathway or describe what that pathway is, then you had [better] not be in the race,” Huntsman said in an exclusive interview for POLITICO’s “Lessons from Leaders” series.

Huntsman also dismissed any future run for state office.

“I’ve been governor, elected twice as governor, but when you get elected with about 80 percent of the vote, if you try to do that over again, you’re never going to be as good as the first time around. I think its fool-hearted to try,” he said.

Huntsman, who came in third in New Hampshire in the 2012 Republican primary, is now serving as co-chairman of the bipartisan No Labels group that is striving to make Washington more functional.

The former ambassador to China’s relationship with the national Republican party turned sour after his presidential bid. He was so frustrated at the time that he called for the start of a third party. He worked at the Republican National Committee and was ambassador to Singapore under President Ronald Reagan.

Huntsman said he has “zero” interaction with the Republican Party — similar to the relationship he had when he was governor. During his presidential run, Huntsman said he did not speak with the party at all.

“Parties today are probably more irrelevant than they’ve ever been. They’re fundraising operations, and that’s what they do. They raise a lot of money,” Huntsman said, noting that wealthy donors play a much larger role in setting the agenda.

“In terms of where the real power lies in politics these days, it’s in the individuals who are raising and giving huge amounts of money in unlimited ways to campaigns,” Huntsman said.

More video from the interview will be published in the coming days for the “Lessons from Leaders” series.