Jon Huntsman says he has the signatures to get on the ballot
Apr 13, 2020, 11:44 AM | Updated: 11:52 am
FILE - Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. answers a question during a meeting with the Deseret News and KSL editorial boards in Salt Lake City on Thursday, Jan. 19, 2017. (Ravell Call/ Deseret News)
(Ravell Call/ Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY — Jon Huntsman Jr. announced his team gathered enough signatures to get on the Republican primary ballot for Utah governor.
Huntsman made the announcement in an interview with Inside Sources host Boyd Matheson on Monday.
The signature gathering process became complicated by the outbreak of coronavirus, or COVID-19, early in the 2020 campaign season. In March, the state announced an online pathway for signature gathering, but those who signed to get a candidate on the ballot still needed to mail in a specific form.
With days to go, it was unclear if Huntsman would be able to meet the threshold needed as his team could not collect signatures door-to-door. Then, Monday, Huntsman told Matheson he had the signatures he needed.
Huntsman, a former governor and former ambassador to China and Russia, faces a crowded Republican field seeking the nomination for governor. The Republican candidates include, in alphabetical order:
- Jeff Burningham
- Jason Christensen
- Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox
- Jan Garbett
- Former House Speaker Greg Hughes
- Former Gov. and Amb. Jon Huntsman Jr.
- Salt Lake County Councilwoman Aimee Winder Newton
- Former Utah GOP chairman Thomas Wright
In recent polling, Huntsman and Cox, the sitting lieutenant governor, led the rest of the field. The Deseret News reported Huntsman led with 26% support to Cox’s 24%. However, a large number of voters, 32%, remained undecided.
This story will be updated.
