Huntsman was a candidate for President of the United States in the 2012 Republican primaries. He was one of the most moderate candidates running in the primaries. Huntsman ran on his strong record of job creation in Utah, which had the highest job creation rate in America while he was governor. He has also polled near the bottom of the candidates in the race, although he had a strong showing in New Hampshire. He lost the primaries to Mitt Romney.