 | CNN Political Producer Rachel Streitfeld |
Manchester, New Hampshire (CNN) – Former Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge will endorse Republican presidential candidate Jon Huntsman at St. Anselm College in New Hampshire Friday.
Ridge served as governor of Pennsylvania and was the first person to head the Department of Homeland Security. He chose to endorse Huntsman because of the presidential hopeful’s experience internationally and in the public and private sectors, according to a campaign source.
Huntsman, who most recently served as ambassador to China, is a former Utah governor and has worked for his family’s company, a large chemical corporation. Ridge believes that combination of experience has prepared the GOP contender to offer serious solutions for the nation’s problems, the source said.
Ridge will announce his endorsement at a press conference with Huntsman at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics. The former Pennsylvania governor supported Sen. John McCain in the 2008 presidential cycle.
The endorsement was first reported in the New Hampshire Union Leader.
Since announcing his candidacy in late June, Huntsman has struggled to gain traction in national polls. He has set his sights on winning New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation primary, and has spent much of September campaigning in the state.
He announced his jobs plan in Hudson, New Hampshire Aug. 31.
