This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Former President Jimmy Carter, a Democrat who lost his bid for a second term, told CNN on Wednesday that he thinks former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. is an "attractive" candidate, although he still plans to support President Barack Obama in his re-election effort.
Huntsman is "very attractive to me personally," Carter said, according to CNN, which noted the former president said that his "intention is to vote for the Democratic candidate." Obama is unlikely to face a serious challenger for a nomination to a second term.
Carter's comments come after a spate of White House officials — and Obama himself — have heralded Huntsman's service as U.S. ambassador to China in the Obama administration; such kill-his-campaign-with-kindness comments are not likely to be welcomed by Republican primary voters and could hamper a Huntsman White House campaign.
Huntsman, who officially resigned from his ambassadorial role on Sunday morning, formed a federal political action committee this week that will allow him to travel the country in a preliminary exploration of a campaign.— Thomas BurrTwitter.com/thomaswburr