Huntsman stepping into jobs debate in N.H.
Republican presidential candidate Jon Huntsman, stepping into the jobs debate heretofore confined to President Obama and GOP rivals Mitt Romney and Rick Perry, plans to unveil his own plan next week in New Hampshire.
“Governor Huntsman is going to lay out an economic agenda that would turn our economy around and allow entrepreneurs to thrive and create jobs – just as he did in Utah, where the state led the nation in job growth,’’ said Huntsman spokesman Michael Levoff.
The candidate is planning a speech Wednesday afternoon at Gilchrist Metal Fabricating, a machining and manufacturing company in Hudson, N.H.
“He believes it’s time for us to make ‘Made in America’ mean something again, and a Granite State manufacturer is a great place to start,’’ said Levoff.
The release comes a week before Obama and Romney are releasing their own jobs plans.
Romney has said he will reveal his on Sept. 6 in Nevada; Obama, a Democrat, has said he will reveal his the same week.
Huntsman’s choice of New Hampshire shows the emphasis the former Utah governor is placing on the state.
He spent eight days in the lead primary state in August, while many of his Republican competitors were focused on Iowa, the first caucus state. He is planning another six-day trip here beginning Wednesday, starting with his jobs speech.
The choice of a manufacturing plant is also symbolic, given that Huntsman has said often that the US economy needs to place more emphasis on increasing the amount of manufacturing in the country. Huntsman’s pro-jobs rallying cry has been to call for a “new industrial revolution.’’
While details of his jobs plan are not yet available, Huntsman has in the past laid out a framework that includes lowering the corporate tax rate, loosening regulation, and moving the country toward energy independence, with a focus on using natural gas.
Some of the points in Huntsman’s jobs plan are likely to be similar to those in Romney’s.
Both candidates have talked about things like lowering taxes, reducing regulation, and repealing Obama’s health care program.
The former Utah governor may be looking for an advantage by releasing his plan first.
Both Romney and Perry have been competing to make the claim that they are the best candidate to create jobs. Romney, a venture capitalist for 24 years before a term as governor of Massachusetts, has generally cited his business background, while Perry has talked about the number of jobs he created over his decade as governor of Texas.
Expect Huntsman, who also has business roots, to make a similar case. He frequently notes on the campaign trail that Utah was No. 1 in job creation while he was governor.
Huntsman will tour another manufacturing company – Granite State Manufacturing – in Manchester on Friday. He will remain in the state through Labor Day, making stops at the Concord Chamber of Commerce; a Concord Gun Show; the Hopkinton State Fair; a “Politics and Eggs’’ event in Bedford; and several Labor Day events.
He is not doing any of the large town hall-style events that Romney has been doing throughout the state, but appears to be focused on meeting individual voters at events and addressing smaller groups.
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