This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Young voters across the country should be anticipating the possible presidential campaign of former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman. He's one of the few Republican candidates that they might actually like.
In a survey recently conducted by RK Research, college students voiced strong dissatisfaction with the Republican Party's performance on gay rights and the environment, but gave the Republican Party comparatively high marks on issues such as business-friendly environment, size of government and taxes.
It's this type of Republicanism that Huntsman can speak to.
As governor, Huntsman put the economy at the top of his agenda. He cut taxes by $225 million, and he brought new businesses to the state. As a result, Forbes recently called Utah the best state in the country for business and careers. Utah's economy has expanded by 3.5 percent over the past five years; Utah ranks fourth best in the country in terms of unemployment (5.7 percent compared to Nevada's 12 percent); and only 9.7 percent of Utahns live below the poverty line (national average is 13 percent).
This certainly has appeal to college students who regularly see statistics that suggest that adult men 20-24 years old are working at historically low rates.
Concerning the dissatisfactions of college students, Huntsman has proven distinct from many rank-and-file Republicans. In Utah, he parted ways with many local Republicans by liberalizing the state's extremely strict liquor laws. On the national level, Huntsman was one of the first among prominent Republicans to support civil unions for gay Americans, recognizing the need to encourage family structures.
In terms of the environment, Huntsman, an outdoorsman, is more aligned with America's youngest generation. He routinely emphasizes the importance of the environment, and he battled to keep nuclear waste out of Utah. When pressed that Utah could perhaps expand its education budget by allowing nuclear waste, Huntsman responded, "Some may say that funding education through these 'hotter' waste types would help pay for our education needs. However, we cannot pay for our children's education by mortgaging their future health and safety."
Then there's the simple fact that, unlike Mitt Romney, John McCain, Tim Pawlenty and Rick Santorum, Huntsman is "cool." He dropped out of high school to play electric keyboard in a band, he goes to Foo Fighter concerts, he mountain bikes and he recently led graduates of University of South Carolina in their classic cheer that ends in "kick ass."
He also reportedly possesses the same cool demeanor as Barack Obama, the attitude that young voters strongly preferred over the fiery temper of John McCain.
In the 2008 presidential election, the Republican Party lost the youth vote 32 percent to 66 percent. But by nominating Jon Huntsman, the party would be well on its way to pulling back to 50-50 with generation Y.
Stephen Richer is a director at a public interest law firm in Washington, D.C.