Candidate Bio - Jon Huntsman

Jon Huntsman - ended campaign January 16

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Profile: Jon Huntsman

Jon Huntsman, Jr. is the former governor of Utah, and the former ambassador to China and Singapore. He was raised in locations across the U.S. in part due to the business of his father, who founded Huntsman Chemical Corporation, and accrued a net worth of over $1 billion in the process. Huntsman dropped out of high school to pursue work as a rock band’s keyboardist, but eventually obtained a G.E.D. and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1987. Huntsman served in the first Bush administration, as ambassador to Singapore, and as a deputy U.S. Trade Representative in the second Bush administration. He was elected governor of Utah in 2004 and won re-election in 2008 before stepping down to become President Obama’s ambassador to China. He resigned from that position in 2011 to run for president as a Republican.

Full name:	Jon Meade Huntsman, Jr.
Date of birth:	March 26, 1960 in Palo Alto, Ca.
Family:	Married to Mary Kaye Huntsman, 3 daughters, 2 sons, 2 adopted daughters
Religion:	Mormon
Education:	B.S. University of Pennsylvania (1987)
Resume:	U.S. ambassador to Singapore (1992-93), Huntsman Corp. (1993-2001), Deputy U.S. Trade Representative (2001-03), Governor of Utah (2005-09), U.S. ambassador to China (2009-11)

Candidate links:

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Social: From the field

Profile: Jon Huntsman on the issues

Jobs Huntsman's jobs plan relies on a series of tax reforms and cuts, expanded free trade, regulatory reform and increased domestic energy exploration.
Taxes Huntsman would eliminate all tax deductions and lower rates into three brackets: 8 percent, 14 percent and 23 percent. He would eliminate the Alternative Minimum Tax, the taxes on dividends and capital gains, and cut the corporate tax rate to 25 percent.
Budget Huntsman favors balancing the budget and cutting the debt, but hasn't specified how. He supported the deal in summer 2011 to raise the debt ceiling in conjunction with spending cuts.
Regulations Not available
Entitlement programs Huntsman disagrees that Social Security is a "Ponzi scheme," and has called for its reform. Huntsman has said he would rely heavily on Rep. Paul Ryan's 2011 budget, and the reforms to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid contained within it.
Health care reform Huntsman has said he would seek the repeal of President Obama's health care law, and would replace it with reforms modeled on reforms implemented while he was governor of Utah.
Foreign policy Huntsman wishes for the U.S. to exit Afghanistan, and he wishes to forge strategic relationships in part through free trade agreements. He supports a "transformation" of U.S. forces to modernize for 21st century threats, and increased counterterrorism efforts.
Immigration Huntsman has said he wants to complete a fence along the border between U.S. and Mexico before discussing solutions to the illegal immigrants currently in the U.S.
Energy/Environment Huntsman would expedite the review of new oil and gas exploration projects, and end subsidies for products like ethanol. He would also loosen regulations against fuels like natural gas.
Abortion Huntsman supports a "right to life" amendment to the U.S. constitution.
Same-sex marriage Huntsman favors civil unions for same-sex couples. He opposes same-sex marriage, but would leave the issue for states to decide.
Climate change Huntsman has said he trusts scientists and believes that global warming exists, though he's backed off previous support for a state-level cap-and-trade plan.

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Photos: Jon Huntsman, Jr.