How? To do so he has to actually perform well in some races.
Obviously he has to perform as well as Romney 2008 did. Besides a few exceptions, the GOP nominates the candidate that has established themselves the most, usually through previous tries at the nomination. This is why, unless some Earth shattering event, Romney will be the nominee in this upcoming election.
The only way that running this year hurts Huntsman is if he runs a campaign as inept as Thompson 2008, which is simply possible but not probable.
