Jon Huntsman officially launches 2012 bid

Jon Huntsman, the former Utah governor who recently left his job as President Obama's ambassador to China, will officially launch his bid for the 2012 GOP nomination today

Huntsman will declare his intentions at an announcement rally in Liberty State Park in New Jersey, overlooking the Statue of Liberty and the Manhattan skyline, before he takes his tour to New Hampshire, a state considered pivotal to his political fortunes.

According to speech excerpts released by his campaign, Huntsman will play up his foreign service and his time as governor. And he'll also vow to run a different kind of campaign—insisting he'll rise above the poisonous rhetoric that has come to dominate the political discourse.

"I don't think you need to run down anyone's reputation to run for president. Of course we'll have our disagreements," Huntsman will say, according to his campaign. "I respect my fellow Republican candidates. And I respect the president. He and I have a difference of opinion on how to help the country we both love. But the question each of us wants the voters to answer is who will be the better president; not who's the better American."

Huntsman enters the race with a more than a few serious liabilities, including having served in Obama's administration. Already opponents have sought to tie Huntsman to his former boss, but the ex-ambassador has depicted his work in Beijing as nothing more than patriotic duty.

Huntsman is also unabashedly moderate on several issues, including climate change and immigration. He also supports civil unions for gay couples, calling it a "fairness issue."

But Huntsman's biggest problem could be the fact that few Republicans actually know who he is. A recent Gallup Poll found just 32 percent of likely GOP voters recognize his name and he's in single digits in most early 2012 polls.

In another troubling sign for his candidacy—and Mitt Romney's—a Gallup poll released Monday found that nearly one in five Republicans say they wouldn't vote for a Mormon candidate in 2012.

But Huntsman enters the race with the backing of several skilled GOP operatives—including many veterans of John McCain's past campaigns—as well as several key Republican establishment types. The campaign disclosed yesterday C. Boyden Grey, a veteran of George H.W. Bush's administration, will oversee policy for his campaign.

He's also sought to cast himself as the cool guy in the GOP race. Among other things, he dropped out of high school to play keyboards in a REO Speedwagon cover band—and still loves the band. He rides motocross bikes and Harleys.

One of the key buzzwords of his campaign will be "authentic"—a clear dig at Romney, the GOP frontrunner and Huntsman frenemy, who has been frequently criticized for changing positions to win.

(Photo of Huntsman: Elise Amendola/AP)