Huntsman downplays social issues in quest for GOP nomination for president

By Shira Schoenberg, Globe Correspondent

EXETER, N.H. – When a voter at RiverWoods retirement community asked Jon Huntsman about gay marriage, abortion, and stem cell research, the Republican presidential candidate started his answer with a disclaimer: “My singular focus is going to be around the economy and jobs.”

For the record, Huntsman is pro-life, pro-civil unions and believes embryonic stem cell research can lead to medical breakthroughs. But the economic focus was the point that Huntsman, a former Utah governor, repeated over and over in speaking to about 130 people, a similar-size crowd to the one that greeted former House Speaker Newt Gingrich at the same community last week. Huntsman, who is more liberal than some of his Republican opponents on issues like immigration, is hoping that an intense focus on the economy – where he can cite his credentials as a governor and businessman - will boost his chances among Republican and independent voters.

Foreign involvement, Huntsman said, should be about bolstering the country’s economic base, through free trade agreements or international engagement. “For too long, we’ve been the global sheriff,” he said. “We can’t afford to do it anymore.”

Talking about the need to withdraw from Afghanistan, he said, “Until our economy gets back on its feet, until we can correct our financial situation, we’re not going have the firepower and the leverage the US ought to have.”

Even bridging the political divide among Americans, he said, comes back to the economy. “To ameliorate this division, we’re going to have to heal the economy,” Huntsman said. “In a society of high unemployment, you lack opportunity. Without opportunity, you don’t get hope. If we are the land of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, you can’t have the pursuit of happiness without jobs.”

Huntsman tried to portray himself as a candidate who can bridge divides. He criticized his Republican rivals for opposing a compromise between President Obama and Congress on the debt ceiling. Asked by a voter about Texas Governor Rick Perry calling Social Security a Ponzi scheme, Huntsman called that language “unacceptable.” “It scares people when all they’re asking for is a solution,” he said. Huntsman supports raising the retirement age, changing the way benefits are raised to reflect inflation, and not giving Social Security to wealthier individuals.

Huntsman took questions on a range of topics. On Israel-Palestinian relations, he said, it is impossible to negotiate peace during a time of uncertainty in the Arab world. Meanwhile, the United States should focus on placing Israel’s security “first and foremost.”

On immigration, Huntsman has a more liberal record than some of his rivals, having supported in-state college tuition for children of illegal immigrants. He said the country must first secure the border. Then, he said, the United States must deal with those in the country “in a humane, comprehensive way.” “I’m not sure what those steps will be,” he said, noting that the government will have to deal with back taxes, establishing English as the primary national language, and deporting the “criminal element.”

Huntsman had some supporters. When Huntsman was half an hour late, Rockingham County Commissioner Maureen Barrows, 75, took the microphone. “Personally, I don’t like that,” Barrows said of Huntsman’s lateness. “But you’ll discover he was worth the wait. He’s a decent, good man who doesn’t have the scare tactics of some of our other candidates.”

The audience may have been tailor-made for Huntsman, with more moderates than conservative Tea Party members, who have generally favored Minnesota Representative Michele Bachmann and Perry. When Barrows asked how many Tea Party members were in the audience, no one raised a hand. “I don’t understand the Tea Party people at all,” Barrows admitted.

Yet many attendees were unfamiliar with Huntsman. Several audience members said they had moved from Massachusetts and liked former governor Mitt Romney’s record. Constance Baksys, a 95-year-old Republican, said she thinks Perry “will be able to fight Obama.” She doesn’t know much about Huntsman, but said, “I like his message.”