SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (ABC4 News) – Sources tell ABC4 News that some of Jon Huntsman, Jr. supporters are exploring a write-in candidacy for this November’s gubernatorial election after the former governor lost the Republican primary to Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox.
“It’s one of the most difficult things to do in politics. They still have some time, the deadline isn’t until later in the summer to have this be an option for the Fall,” said Morgan Lyon Cotti, with the Hinckley Institute of Politics.
“But for the voter, it means that they have to skip over the names of the candidates that are listed on their ballot and physically write in the name of the person that they want to be running,” added Lyon Cotti.
A spokesperson for Huntsman’s campaign says they are not planning on such a campaign even though they acknowledge others are talking about it.
Huntsman lost to Cox by fewer than 10,000 votes in the Republican primary.
Analysts say it is incredibly rare for any write-in campaign to be successful.
“You’re not just convincing people to support you, and vote for you. You’re convincing people to take that extra step and ignore the other candidates and write in your name,” said Lyon Cotti.
