SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Former Utah governor Jon Huntsman says he will not attempt a write-in campaign to reclaim his old job.
Huntsman made the announcement Friday evening in a Facebook message.
'While we respect the concerned voices of Utahns from every corner of the political spectrum, our earlier words also still hold true — the primary voters have spoken,' wrote Huntsman, who narrowly lost the GOP primary contest to Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox. 'Even the closest of races like ours are subject to rules, and we respect that outcome.'
Huntsman left the governor's post in 2009 to serve as U.S. ambassador to China. He wrote that he remained concerned about the state's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and about the coronavirus task force that Cox led.
Huntsman had until Monday to file as a write-in candidate for the general election against Cox and Democratic candidate Chris Peterson. He lost to Cox in the primary by just over 6,000 votes.