LISTEN: Huntsman Talks Taxes In New Hampshire

RINDGE, N.H. — With 13-percent support from likely New Hampshire voters in a recent Suffolk University poll, an invigorated Jon Huntsman hawked his plans for tax reform and jobs to New Hampshire voters.

The former Ambassador to China said during a townhall event Monday that in order to create jobs, the U.S. must reduce taxes.

“You have to fix the taxes. I put in a flat tax in Utah and we had the most business-friendly environment in the country, so says Forbes and Business Week,” Huntsman said.

“Then you let the marketplace decide.”

Huntsman trotted out a familiar line, telling audience members that during the last two years of his full term as Utah governor, Utah led the nation in job creation.

Huntsman’s position papers on the economic issues talk about the Utah flat tax he was able to get through the legislature.

In an interview after the event, Huntsman was more reflective when asked about the current tax debate on Capitol Hill. He admitted that getting a flat tax through Congress would be difficult. But, he said, he’d rely on support from constituents to pressure their elected officials into backing the move.

“The flat tax isn’t on the table yet, but when you’re first elected president you have the will of the people.”

“At least for the first year and a half, you have the good will of the Congress, that’s when you get things done,” Huntsman added.

However, he was sharply critical of his former boss when he was Ambassador to China, President Barack Obama.

“This president for the first year and a half had the kind of leverage needed to get things done. That’s gone,” he said.

An Associated Press poll released Friday says that 52-percent of voters believe that Obama does not deserve a second term in office.

In the remainder of his presentation, Huntsman touched on social security, the United States’ considerable natural gas reserves and the need for the nation to become energy independent.

TRNS’s Michael Carl has more on the story:

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Poll: Gingrich Sees Lead Dissolve, Ties With Romney

Presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich’s status as GOP frontrunner has dissolved, according to a new CNN/ORC International poll.

Gingrich now ties with former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney at 28 percent. In the previous poll, conducted between November 18th and the 20th, Gingrich lead Romney by 4 points.

Texas Congressman Ron Paul comes in third place with 14 percent. No other candidate scores double digits.

The results come amid increased scrutiny over Gingrich’s record coupled with criticism from an array of conservative illuminates. The former Speaker of the House has reportedly been scrambling to maintain his lead by beefing up his staff and committing additional time to the campaign trail.

Since the start of the Republican debates, several other candidates have emerged to become an alternative to Romney, including Texas Governor Rick Perry and former businessman Herman Cain. Both ultimately saw their leads collapse.

The poll was conducted among 436 Republicans between December 16th and 18th. It comes fifteen days before the Iowa caucuses, the first major contest of the primary season. While Gingrich has been expected to fare well in the hawkeye state, a survey released Sunday by Public Policy Polling placed him at third place, behind Ron Paul at 20 percent and Mitt Romney with 14 percent.

Poll: Hunstman In Third Place In NH

Jon Hunstman has thus far gained little traction among Republican voters since entering the 2012 race, but a new poll shows the Former Utah Governor holding third place in New Hampshire.

The poll, conducted by Suffolk University and Manchester television station WHDH, shows Mitt Romney leading the field with 38 percent, followed by Gingrich with 20 percent. Huntsman holds 13 percent, a development that his campaign referred to as a surge.

“This poll confirms that Governor Huntsman’s message of restoring trust in Washington, ending bailouts for too-big-to-fail Wall Street banks, and eliminating crony capitalism is resonating with voters who are fed up with politics-as-usual in Washington,” Matt David, Huntsman’s campaign manager, said in a statement sent out to supporters.

Texas Congressman Ron Paul, who came in fourth with 8 percent, previously held the third place spot.

According to David Paleologos, the director of the Suffolk University Political Research Center, Huntsman’s uptick can be attributed to his campaign’s focus on independent voters.

“Huntsman has traction among independents, who could dominate the Republican Primary if mobilized,” Paleologos said in a statement.

The poll was conducted December 10^th through the 13^th among 400 likely primary voters.

Former Tea Party Candidate Endorses Mitt Romney

Christine O’Donnell, a 2010 senatorial candidate who unsuccessfully ran under the Tea Party mantle, is backing Mitt Romney for President.

During an interview with CNN Wednesday, O’Donnell touted Romney as the true anti-establishment candidate over Newt Gingrinch, adding that she’s unfazed by accusations that Romney is a flip-flopper.

“He’s humble enough to say I don’t always have the right answers and he’s open to other viewpoints,” O’Donnell said.

The announcement comes as a surprise. Romney has faced an uphill battle courting the support of those who affiliate themselves with the Tea Party, many of whom distrust Romney for backing an individual mandate for Massachusetts residents while serving as the state’s governor.

O’Donnell won an upset in Delaware’s Republican primary amid the 2010 midterm elections. However, her campaign fell short after statements she made on television programs in previous years were brought to light, including denouncing masturbation and admitting that she “dabbled” in witchcraft as a young adult.

Poll: Gingrich’s Lead Narrows

Presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich’s lead over Mitt Romney has narrowed, according to a new Gallup poll.

Currently, Gingrich leads the former Massachusetts Governor among likely Republican voters by 31 percent to 22 percent, a six point drop from earlier this month, when the margin was 37 to 22 percent.

Gingrich’s slight drop comes as he cements his frontrunner status, thus becoming a larger target for criticism from fellow Republicans and Democrats alike.

The former Speaker’s surge to the top of the GOP pack has shaken the long-held conventional wisdom that Romney will be the de-facto nominee. Occurring just weeks before key early primaries, Romney’s time to regain his lead is diminishing.

No other candidate gained the points Gingrich shed. Instead, there was a 5 percent uptick in those who said they were undecided.

The same poll also found that Republican voters are closely divided over who would stand a better shot at unseating President Barack Obama. 44 percent replied that Gingrich would be the best man for the job opposed to 40 percent who said Romney.

The poll was conducted among 1,167 Republican or Republican leaning voters between December 8^th through the 12^th.