Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman (R) polled with 4 percent support among GOP voters in a Fox News poll released Wednesday, which qualifies him for an upcoming Republican primary debate hosted by CNN.



According to the poll, 4 percent of Republican voters would like to see Huntsman win the presidential nomination. To qualify for the CNN debate, a candidate must poll with an average of 2 percent support or more among Republican voters in three separate polls since Sept. 1. Huntsman had previously polled with 2 percent in two separate polls and 1 percent in others, leaving his average short of the minimum required to attend the debate. With the Fox poll, however, Huntsman now qualifies for the CNN debate in Las Vegas on Oct. 18.



Huntsman campaign officials declined to comment on the CNN criteria.



The poll adds to Huntsman’s claim that he’s been building momentum of late. This past summer, he joked that he was a “margin-of-error” candidate. More recently, he celebrated two polls that had him with double-digit approval in New Hampshire — a crucial state for presidential candidates in general and Huntsman’s campaign in particular. Huntsman said he is no longer a fringe candidate.



“They used to call us the margin-of-error candidate when I first came here,” Huntsman said Saturday. “I can’t say that anymore.”