Waiting in the Wing

[yougo1000]

The wait to know whether he had been elected was frustrating. Jon Huntsman was frustrated. He had been campaigning far too long to become President of the United States.

He stared at the TV as the announcer perked up. "We can make a projection. The President of the United States will be..."


It started in October of 2009. It was supposed to be a simple meeting between Huntsman and a colleague, Jimmy Williamson. They were meeting about China and Huntsman future in politics.

The conversation went a little like this.
"Jon, you have the influence to run for President. You have a good political reputation and are well liked."
"But I just don't know whether I can handle it."
"Just try for crying out loud. It doesn't matter if you don't try. You could run and I could be your campaign manager."
"How about this. I consider it and get back to you tomorrow."
"Fine"
"Alright, now lets talk about other stuff."

[tmthforu94]

I like how this has started! Looking forward to it.

[yougo1000]

The Next Day

Huntsman went onto the phone and dialed a number. It wasn't the number of Jimmy Williamson, but it was the number of a friend of his who had received "inside info" before. He asked him to leak his name as a potential candidate to the media to get some polling numbers.

Next he dialed Williamson's number.
"I think I will form an exploratory committee."
"Excellent, I have some friends who have been on some before. I could get them in contact with you."
"Who's campaign have they worked on before?"
"Some smaller presidential ones. Including George Bush in 2000 when he was considering."
"Alright. Get in contact with them.

2 Days Later
Huntsman got some good news back from his source. Some media members said he was a legitimate candidate for President. That he had the connections and resources to win the election. But they were concerned about his name recognition. Which Huntsman knew he had to improve

[yougo1000]

CNN: November 19th, 2009

WB: According to a media source Jon Huntsman is seriously considering a run for president of the United States. The 50-year old Ambassador to China and had a successful run as the Governor of Utah from 2005-2009. Now Brian what do you think of his chances?

BT: It all depends on the resources. If he announces early enough I think he could get a pretty good capital to make a good run. If Romney decides not to run he does have an easier path. But since Romney is the favorite it is unlikely he will not run. He has some executive experience with being the Ambassador to Singapore and to China. He is very likely an under-the-radar candidate for President.

[yougo1000]

January 8th, 2010
Salt Lake City, Utah

"...Ladies and gentleman this country needs a change. I feel like I can bring you that. That is why I am going to run for President of the United States in 2012. Thank you and good night."

January 10th,
CNN Poll:
Who would you vote for for President:
Generic Republican: 42%
Barack Obama 50%
Undecided: 8%

Who would you vote for?:
Jon Huntsman: 37%
Barack Obama: 58%
Undecided: 5%

[yougo1000]

May 12th, 2010
Jon Huntsman Campaign Headquarters

"Jimmy, I'm not sure if I can do it."
"Jon, you can't worry about it. It is far too early to see who will win. There could be some big mistakes until then. Just focus on gaining support."
"Fine, what should we do next"
"We need to get to Obama on the core issues. Slam him on his broken promises."

Later that day,

Fox News
Anchor: "We have some breaking news. Reports are coming out from Iraq that there was an explosion. We are getting conflicting reports with some estimates being 25-30 deaths"
Anchor: "As more information comes through we will let you know."

NPR Poll 5/12/10
Republican Primaries:
Mitt Romney: 55%
Sarah Palin: 18%
Jon Huntsman: 15%
Rick Santorum: 12%

General Election:
Romney: 47%
Obama: 53%

Palin: 42%
Obama: 58%

Santorum: 41%
Obama: 59%

Huntsman" 38%
Obama: 62%