Former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman Jr. set to announce run for governor
SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — Former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman, Jr. is set to announce a run for governor of Utah on Thursday in southern Utah.
Sources telling 2News now for weeks the announcement would happen this week, following the election and the birth of the Huntsmans' eighth grandchild.
This afternoon, Mary Kaye Huntsman posted a picture of her husband on Instagram saying, “Road trip south with this guy.”
Our 2News Southern Utah bureau was given a heads up this afternoon to prepare for visits over the next two days in both Cedar City and St. George. The expected announcements would be made in rural Utah, where the former Governor will need to gather support.
On Oct. 17, 59-year-old Huntsman told 2News' Heidi Hatch he was giving a run for governor “serious consideration.”
Both Jon and his wife, Mary Kaye, looked back on their time in the governor’s mansion as some of their happiest years.
“It’s the best job in the world. Being governor, you can actually get things done and work with people to solve big problems. There is no other job like it, and I’ve had a few jobs," said the former governor.Former First Lady Mary Kaye told 2News, “He's got my support of whatever he wants to do, and we will do it together and have fun, no matter what we decide to do."
Just this week, Mary Kaye posted a throwback video of their time in office and her “Power In You” campaign.
“Going through old footage of my main passion project as former First Lady, Power in You. We may have been 10 years early with our message, but this commercial we did resonates with the trying times we all are facing now. I hope we all can live life without labels and instead love with kindness and compassion for others," she wrote.
Huntsman is no stranger to the office. He left the Utah governor’s mansion in 2009 when then-President Barack Obama asked him to serve as U.S Ambassador to China.
Huntsman was Utah’s 16th governor, serving from 2005 to 2009. He was re-elected for a second term with nearly 78% of the vote in 2008. Many Utah voters were not happy when he left the office after such a resounding win. Huntsman said at the time, as he did when he answered President Donald Trump's call to be Ambassador to Russia, that he would always answer the call to serve his country.
Just a few weeks ago, the Huntsmans talked about why they were considering another gubernatorial run, saying big life events had given them new perspective.
“With the passing of my dad, looking at what is most important, sons deployed and grandkids coming along — you sit back and say, what do you value most about life and the remaining years you have to be active," Huntsman said at the time.
Lt. Governor Spencer Cox, Utah County businessman Jeff Burningham, and Salt Lake County Councilwoman Aimee Winder Newton have all announced their intentions to run for governor in 2020.
If Jon Huntsman, Jr. were to pull off a third win, he would take over the seat from Governor Gary Herbert, who was appointed to take his job 10 years ago.
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