Jon Huntsman receives endorsements from New Hampshire papers

By Shira Schoenberg, Globe Correspondent

MEREDITH, N.H. - Former Utah governor Jon Huntsman today received endorsements from two New Hampshire newspapers – the Valley News and the Keene Sentinel.

The Valley News, which is based in Lebanon and covers the Upper Valley region, called Huntsman “solidly conservative, but not myopically so.” It cited his proposed overhaul of the tax system, his commitment to repealing the Dodd-Frank financial regulatory reform laws, and his focus on energy security.

The Sentinel wrote, “His principal qualifying distinctions include a boldness in economic policy that belies his temperate personal demeanor and a belief that the country’s divisions cannot be closed by bulldozers moving in only one direction.”

Speaking to reporters after a town hall meeting at Inter-Lakes High School, Huntsman said of the endorsements, “That’s pretty cool. Did you ever think you’d see that?”

So far, the only statewide New Hampshire newspaper, the Union Leader, endorsed former House speaker Newt Gingrich. The Portsmouth Herald today endorsed former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, noting that Romney “has proven his financial acumen at every step of his career.” Foster’s Daily Democrat also previously endorsed Romney.

Huntsman said he did not know whether voters will be persuaded by endorsements. But he said, “It does signal to the marketplace that people are paying attention. ... it does mean you’re being recognized in the state.”

Huntsman is staking his presidential campaign on performing well in New Hampshire. After being stuck in the single digits in the polls for months, a Suffolk University/7NEWS poll out last week put Huntsman in third place with 13 percent of the vote, behind Romney and Gingrich. Huntsman is doing three town hall meetings and a house party today, as part of a four-day swing through New Hampshire.

Shira Schoenberg can be reached at sschoenberg@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @shiraschoenberg.