Huntsman girls cause stir over Dem joke

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated.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 Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman's daughters have made some recent comments on politics and faith that are likely to raise a few eyebrows back in Utah.Abby Huntsman, a host on the new Huffpost Live, is catching flack 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 has endorsed Republican Mitt Romney after ending his brief presidential run. He has no plans to participate in the party's national convention at the end of this month.Abby's sister Liddy Huntsman came to her defense on Twitter 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." — Matt CanhamTwitter: @mattcanham