This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Former Gov. Jon Huntsman's daughters made some recent comments likely to raise a few eyebrows back in Utah.

Abby Huntsman, a host on the new Huffpost Live program, is catching flak for a Tuesday night TV appearance on the liberal network Current where she appears to accept an invitation to join the Democratic Party.

"I will join you there," she said with a laugh.

Huntsman later told The Daily Caller that she was being sarcastic in her response to host Jennifer Granholm, but that hasn't stopped some conservative media personalities from giving her grief.

Huntsman has persistently criticized the Republican Party, which she believes is excluding moderate voices. She has said she doesn't know who she will vote for in November and may write in her father's name.

Jon Huntsman has made similar complaints about the party, though he endorsed Republican Mitt Romney after ending his brief presidential run. He has no plans to participate in the party's national convention .

Abby's sister Liddy Huntsman came to her defense on Twitter on Wednesday attempting to set the record straight about Abby's political affiliation in a strongly worded tweet.

@HuntsmanLiddy wrote: "The day my sister becomes a democrat, is the day I go back to the Mormon Church. #Notinthislifetime. I got your back @huntsmanabby."

Along those same lines, there was a report on the conservative Web site Breitbart.com on Friday that said that Jon Huntsman would be a featured speaker at the Democratic National Convention — which would be a major departure for the former Republican presidential candidate.

But a spokesman for Huntsman tells us: "I'm not sure where those reports are coming from but any story relating to the governor speaking at the [Democratic convention] is categorically untrue."

—

The lure of Park City • Utah politicians like Sens. Orrin Hatch and Mike Lee often lure wealthy donors to Park City for a ski trip or a summer golf outing, but now their Republican colleagues are getting into the act.

Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., just wrapped up a weekend golf retreat costing $1,500 per person. It was the third year in a row that he held a shindig in the mountains of northern Utah. And Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski is planning a ski trip to Deer Valley in December. Earlier this year, House Republican heavyweights Reps. Jeb Hensarling, Pete Sessions and Greg Walden held a similar event.

Burr and Canham report from Washington, D.C. They can be reached at tburr@sltrib.com or mcanham@sltrib.com