SALT LAKE CITY — As a once enormously popular governor, scion of a prominent family and ambassador under two presidents to America’s biggest global rivals, Jon Huntsman Jr. should be a political force to be reckoned with. But his comeback attempt fell short in a GOP primary as he contended with a crushing pandemic and a fresh-faced opponent. Spencer Cox, who had heightened visibility as he helped the state response to the coronavirus while also pitching himself as an earnest leader with rural Utah roots. “Voters are upset, they’re looking for change,” said Tim Chambless, a political-science professor at the University of Utah. “In a sense, Jon Huntsman Jr. is a symbol of the past.”

Source: International New York Times July 07, 2020 19:07 UTC