Huntsman Campaign Manager Quits, Schwarzenegger Aide Takes Job
July 21, 2011, 3:53 PM EDTBy John McCormick
July 21 (Bloomberg) -- The presidential campaign manager for Republican Jon Huntsman Jr. has resigned, as the former Utah governor struggles to gain support since entering the race a month ago.
Susie Wiles will be replaced by Matt David, the campaign said in an e-mailed statement. David, who has been Huntsman’s communications director, previously worked for former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. The campaign provided no reason for Wiles’ departure.
“Susie has served the campaign well and was vital in getting it off the ground in such a short time-frame,” John Weaver, a senior adviser to Huntsman, said in a statement provided by the campaign.
Weaver said the campaign is now moving into “phase two,” which will be “more aggressive from a messaging and tactical standpoint.”
David and Weaver both worked for Senator John McCain of Arizona, the 2008 Republican presidential nominee.
Huntsman, 51, who was Democratic President Barack Obama’s ambassador to China before resigning in late April, has sought to position himself as an unconventional, fresh-faced candidate in the crowded Republican field.
His campaign said it raised $4.1 million during the quarter that ended June 30, including some personal money from Huntsman. That was less than a quarter of the $18.3 million that former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney reported raising. Polls of Republican-leaning voters show Romney leading the race.
Huntsman has placed his greatest focus on New Hampshire, which will hold the nation’s first primary next year following the Iowa caucuses.
In the latest Granite State Poll of Republican-leaning voters in New Hampshire, Huntsman received 2 percent while Romney led with 35 percent. The poll, conducted by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center, was taken June 21 through July 1 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 5.2 percentage points.
-- Editors: Don Frederick, Jeanne Cummings
To contact the reporter on this story: John McCormick in Chicago at jmccormick16@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Mark Silva at msilva34@bloomberg.net.
