NPR's favorite Republican candidate is no longer in the hunt for the nomination.

Think about that one for a moment...

Ace blogged about it the other day and concludes that Huntsman made two fundamental mistakes.  One was not emphasising his conservative record as Utah's Governor and the executive experience that came with it.  The GOP tends to have better success with governors (Reagan, GWB, and probably Romney) than Senators (Goldwater, Dole, and McCain) as Presidential candidates.  He had a record that would appeal to voters interested in fiscal restraint.

Another area where Huntsman went wrong was actively insulting/attacking the Republican electorate.  This was odd since he was running for the GOP nomination.  Captain Ed opines that his campaign advisors told him to take that approach...and the results showed this was not effective.  C'mon, appearing in Vogue and appealing to the NPR demographic is not the way to win over Republican voters, especially in the primaries.

His withdrawl leaves a smaller field but it looks like Governor Romney has the momentum that will carry him through to the nomination.  I'd be surprised if any of the remaining candidates can sustain their campaigns and garner enough support to take the nomination.

Governor Huntsman may have been a good candidate...circa 2008.  As we have seen over the last few years, the political mood of the country has changed considerably.  Much of this is due to the progressive/liberal overreach that took place after Obama won the Presidency.  Some of it can also be attributed to the cyclical nature of American politics that is trending conservative/traditional.  Huntsman failed to understand both the times he lived in as well as the mood of the Republican electorate he was courting.  In the end, his campaign failed to resonate outside of a very small niche and became a historical footnote.