This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Washington • Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, under consideration to be the U.S. ambassador to Russia, glad-handed his way through the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, joined by Sen. Orrin Hatch whom he wouldn't rule out running against in 2018.

Huntsman told The Washington Post's Robert Costa that he was there "just to see a friend" but wouldn't comment on whether he's in the running for a posting in the Trump administration.

A White House official has confirmed to The Salt Lake Tribune that Huntsman is "in the mix" for the Moscow diplomatic gig.

Huntsman also demurred when asked, in front of Hatch, whether he'd run for Hatch's seat. "He wouldn't [say]," Costa tweeted. "Slightly awkward."

Hatch has also not said whether he will run again, despite saying in his 2012 bid for re-election that it would be his last run. Those close to Hatch say he's mixed on whether he'll run, though his office has passed along supportive quotes from senators and business officials urging him to seek an eighth term.

– Thomas Burr

Editor's note: The Salt Lake Tribune is owned and published by Paul Huntsman, the brother of former Gov. Jon Huntsman.