Speaking to employees at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H., Huntsman said the country needs a president who will take on the banking sector. “If you’re the largest recipient of funds from the banking sector, as Governor Romney is, for example, do you think you can fix what needs to be fixed?” Huntsman asked. “No way, no how. It’ll be a status quo outcome.”
According to the Center for Responsive Politics, Romney has received more money from employees of commercial banks than any other candidate — $542,000.
At a town hall in Peterborough, Huntsman again portrayed Romney as the choice of the establishment. “No one wants a coronation,” he said. “No one wants to be told for whom to vote. … We can’t afford a status quo presidency.”
“If you’re endorsed by 47 members of Congress, do you think you can bring about the reform you need in Congress?” Huntsman added. “No way, No how.”
When a reporter asked him how he differed from Romney, Huntsman responded, “I can get elected.”
Huntsman added, “I haven’t been on three sides of all the issues of the day. I ran a state that was number one in job creation as opposed to number 47.” Huntsman said his foreign policy experience — as someone who has lived overseas four times — is different from Romney’s.
Romney, Texas Representative Ron Paul, and former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum are all battling for the top spot in today’s Iowa caucuses. But Huntsman seemed less concerned about either Paul or Santorum. Santorum has had little support in New Hampshire. While Paul is currently in second place, it is unclear if the libertarian-leaning representative can broaden his support, especially given recent controversy over inflammatory statements about race published under his name in the 1980s and 1990s (Paul has disavowed the statements).
