Jon Huntsman certainly seemed like the most intelligent man on the stage at last Wednesday's Reagan Center debate, yet there didn't seem to be any sort of major reaction that indicated he was beginning to resonate with Republican voters. Huntsman consistently pointed out that his record of tax cuts, job creation and creating a strong environment for business development trumped fellow governors Rick Perry and Mitt Romney. Still, all of the post-debate focus surrounded the other former governors, with even the usually ignored Ron Paul getting more attention than Huntsman.

Huntsman, a two-term governor of Utah who later served as the U.S. Ambassador to China, spoke to both opponents directly in responses to questions. ”I hate to rain on the parade of the great Lone Star State governor, but as governor of Utah, we were the number one job creator during my years in service,“ Huntsman said to Perry during the debate, and then, " Mitt, 47 just ain’t gonna cut it, my friend..." toward Romney in reference to his record as governor of Massachusetts.

Huntsman points out that his relationship with our number one trade partner and a major global competitor is a strong asset, as is his ability to speak to the Chinese people in their native tongue. Huntsman, who signed the largest tax cut in Utah's history, including a flat tax, is amazingly being criticized within the party for ”not being conservative enough.“

His peers and co-workers have consistently described him as a man with gifted intellect, but his agreement with 97 percent of scientists that global warming is real has hurt him among the base of his party. During the debate, moderators attempted to pin Huntsman down on those differences and while declining to accuse anyone on stage of being anti-science, Huntsman said, "When you make comments that fly in the face of what 98 out of 100 climate scientists have said, when you call to question evolution, all I'm saying is that in order for the Republican Party to win, we can't run from science."

Amazingly, Huntsman is indeed alone on the stage in his belief of global warming and evolution. Rick Perry, who attempted to defend his positions with the perplexing response that ”even Galileo was outvoted for a spell,“ has drawn his heaviest criticism for mandating that young girls in Texas schools receive a mandatory vaccination for an STD related to cervical cancer. Perry did, however, draw massive applause for having executed more convicted criminals than any governor in the history of our Republic. 

So, despite Huntsman's record of success as a leader, his history of adhering to conservative fiscal ideals and his strong resume as a both a chief executive and foreign policy expert, analysts are wondering if Jon Huntsman is too moderate for the Republican party. Judging from what has been drawing applause and what has been drawing ire, there might be some truth in that analysis.

related:

GOP Primary: Why not Romney?

Will the Real Rick Perry Please Stand Up

If Huntsman is too Moderate, the GOP may be in Trouble

Dennis Maley is a featured columnist and editor for The Bradenton Times, as well as a former active-duty Army Captain. An archive of his columns is available here. He can be reached at dennis.maley@thebradentontimes.com.