Republican presidential candidate former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman descends stairs during an event at Virginia's on King restaurant, Sunday, Jan. 15, 2012, in Charleston, S.C. Huntsman will withdraw Monday, Jan. 16 from the race for the Republican presidential nomination. Campaign officials tell The Associated Press Huntsman will endorse Mitt Romney at an event in South Carolina on Monday morning. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)With his campaign for the Republican nomination having stirred little enthusiasm, former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman's third-place finish in the recent New Hampshire primary -- where he had heavily invested his time -- has persuaded him to drop out of the presidential race.
Huntsman, a moderate who also served as ambassador to Communist China in the Obama administration before seeking the GOP nomination, endorsed fellow Republican hopeful Mitt Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts.
With the primary in conservative South Carolina only a few days away, it is unclear whether the Huntsman endorsement will give front-runner Romney an additional boost, or if one of the other GOP candidates will make some headway against Romney.
We'll find out soon enough.