(Image source: Wikimedia Commons)

BY CHRISTINA HARTMAN

Where the wild things aren’t.

While everyone’s been watching Iowa -- Jon Huntsman’s got the Granite State all to himself.

WTTG: “Jon Huntsman pretty much ignored Iowa altogether.”

WBZ: “This is a risky strategy. Jon Huntsman putting all his focus on the New Hampshire primary.”

Former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman initially said he wouldn’t contest Iowa in protest of the ethanol subsidies the state receives from the federal government. But as The Salt Lake Tribune points out -- Iowa was never friendly territory for the candidate.

“Huntsman, taking a cue from Sen. John McCain’s previous campaigns, has avoided Iowa almost entirely, focusing nearly all of his resources into New Hampshire where Iowa’s social issues — like abortion or same-sex marriage — yield more to concerns about taxes and economics.”

But putting all his campaign eggs in one state’s basket is a strategy many observers say is risky at best. WBZ’s Jim Smith followed Huntsman to a recent campaign stop.

“Huntsman went from table to table finding lots of conservatives but not too many promises of a vote coming his way.”
WOMAN: “I don't know about you...”
FLASH: “Huntsman says he's bypassing Iowa because New Hampshire is the place where presidents are picked, which begs the question -- if New Hampshire is the litmus test, then Mitt Romney wins big up here, does that mean he's the choice?”

In fact a recent Suffolk University poll suggests Romney, not Huntsman, is in for a landslide in New Hampshire.

“Paul has reemerged as the number two choice during the Gingrich decline, while Huntsman has not benefited from a recent Super PAC television ad blitz attacking Romney.”

Still -- The LA Times notes the former Utah Governor remains hopeful.

“He insisted that voters don’t coalesce around a candidate until the final week of the campaign. He hammered his message that he is the candidate best suited to tackle the nation’s economic problems based on his record of job creation in Utah. And he promised to take on banks that are ‘too big to fail,’ as well as Congress...”


The New Hampshire primary will be held January 10th.