Huntsman plays up conservative credentials in speech

Former Utah governor Jon Huntsman Jr. played up his record on abortion, taxes, and the size of government during a speech Friday before a conservative audience at the Faith and Freedom Conference.

Conspicuously absent from his speech was any mention of same-sex marriage. In the past, Huntsman has voiced strong support for civil unions as an alternative to gay marriage, which has angered conservatives.

Huntsman is considering a run for the White House, but many observers question whether his centrist reputation — and his service in the Obama administration as ambassador to China — might alienate Republican primary voters.

{mosads}Huntsman seemed to address those concerns head on during the speech, noting that he “signed every pro-life bill” that came to his desk as governor.

“I signed the bill that made second trimester abortions illegal and increased the penalty for doing so,” Huntsman said. “I signed the bill to allow women to know the pain an abortion causes an unborn child. I signed the bill requiring parental permission for abortion. I signed the bill that would trigger the ban on abortions in Utah.

“You see, I do not believe the Republican party should focus only on our economic life to the neglect of our human life,” Huntsman continued. “That is a trade we should not make. If Republicans ignore life, the deficit that we would face is much more destructive.”

He also mentioned “encroachments” to liberty in the U.S.: “the new healthcare law, growth of government, resulting mass regulation, and debt.”

Huntsman argued that the debate over increasing the debt limit was about more than the deficit.

“This fight in the [extension] of the debt ceiling is not just about debt,” he said. “It is not just about spending, it is not just about confidence in our bonds and our debt. It is about the size of government and the role of government in our lives.”

Huntsman added that raising the debt ceiling was not about making the country more free and prosperous.

“We are buying serfdom,” Huntsman said.

Huntsman has said he plans to make a decision about a presidential run in a matter of weeks.

–This story was updated at 3:53 p.m.