Utah Governor's Future Uncertain

[Freddie Stubbs]

By PAUL FOY
ASSOCIATED PRESS

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Political insiders are betting on a former diplomat to emerge as a top nominee for governor at the Utah Republican convention Saturday, possibly replacing Gov. Olene Walker as the party's standard-bearer.

Jon Huntsman Jr., former U.S. Ambassador to Singapore during the first Bush administration, has quickly risen to frontrunner status at a time when Walker has enjoyed a particularly bumpy ride for an incumbent.

"Every poll I've seen, Huntsman comes out on top," Utah pollster Dan Jones said Wednesday.

Huntsman, 44, is the heir to his family's chemical conglomerate, Huntsman Family Holdings Co., and enjoys the name recognition attached to one of Utah's biggest companies. He currently serves as chairman and chief executive of the company and also is a trade representative in the current Bush administration.

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