Will the GOP race be down to Palin against Huntsman?

Exactly a month ago today I made my first bet of the 2012 White House Race – £50 at 200/1 on Jon Huntsman, the young governor of Utah for President.

Since then the Ladbrokes price on my man has tightened to 33/1 with 20/1 on him getting the Republican nomination.

In the meantime there’s news that the highly tipped governor of Louisiana, Bobby Jindal, is making it clear that he won’t be running in 2012 and there’s increasing speculation about Huntsman.

The Washington Post has just featured him is in the first of a series of those to look out for for 2012.

“On paper, Huntsman doesn’t seem like anyone worth keeping an eye on. The son of a billionaire businessman and philanthropist, Huntsman served in several positions within the Administrations of George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush before running successfully for governor in ruby-red Utah in 2004 and cruising to reelection last month with 70 percent of the vote..But, dig only slightly deeper and Huntsman’s appeal begins to become apparent. He is an expert on China and speaks Mandarin Chinese fluently. He is far more progressive on the environment than many within his party. He has built a record of economic recovery and growth during his first four years in office at which even Democrats marvel. And, most importantly (and interestingly), he sees himself as a force for bipartisanship in Utah..
“People work with people,” said Huntsman during an interview last month with The Fix. “Most Americans are fed up with the idea that partisanship has stood in the way of progress.”

There’s an enormously long way to go – but that 200/1 is looking a bit better.

Mike Smithson