GOP hopeful Jon Huntsman credited his third-place finish in Tuesday’s New Hampshire primary to old-fashioned, on-the-ground campaigning.
“This state we have worked hard and diligently…. We have won people over person by person. This is the old way to get politics done in New Hampshire and my confidence in the system is reborn,” he told supporters on Tuesday night.
Huntsman received 17 percent of the Granite State vote. He was expected to tie with Rick Santorum with 11 percent of the vote, according to the most recent WMUR/University of New Hampshire poll conducted between Jan. 5 and Jan. 8. He credited his strong showing to his consistent presence in New Hampshire. He campaigned heavily there, making close to 170 public appearances.
“This state wants its candidates to earn it the old-fashioned way. That’s on the ground, handshake by handshake, conversation by conversation, vote by vote,” he said.
The former Utah governor reportedly called primary winner Mitt Romney after the results came in. “You’re a good man. You looked great up there with your family on stage,” he said, according to MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow. “I’ll see you in South Carolina.”
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