If elected, this would be 1987 College graduate Jon Huntsman Jr.'s third term as Utah governor — he held the position between 2005 and 2009.
Credit: Joy Lee1987 College graduate Jon Huntsman Jr. announced his bid to run for a third term as governor of Utah on Nov. 14, CNN reported.
The announcement comes just three months after Huntsman Jr. announced his resignation from his position as the United States ambassador to Russia, which he had held since March 2017 after President Donald Trump offered him the post.
Huntsman Jr. is the son of 1959 Wharton graduate Jon Huntsman Sr., a prolific donor to the University of Pennsylvania who died in February 2018 and is the namesake of both Huntsman Hall and the Huntsman Program in International Studies & Business.
If elected, this would be Huntsman Jr.'s third term as Utah governor — he held the position between 2005 and 2009, when his approval ratings reached as high as 84%. Huntsman Jr. resigned from the gubernatorial post to serve as U.S. ambassador to China under former President Barack Obama. He also ran an unsuccessful presidential bid in 2012, losing the nomination to Mitt Romney.
Huntsman Jr., a Republican, joins several other politicians running for the gubernatorial post. These include Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox, Salt Lake County Councilwoman Aimee Winder Newton, and businessman Jeff Burningham, according to Politico. Cox has been endorsed by current Utah Gov. Gary Herbert, who is not seeking reelection.
Throughout his political career, Huntsman has made several appearances at Penn, including delivering the 2010 commencement address. He has also spoken at campus events in 2013 and 2016.
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