As a long line of Dartmouth students and Upper Valley residents snaked outside of Jesse's Steaks, Seafood and Tavern on May 19, visitors were expecting much more than food, according to Jennifer Packard, director of corporate relations for the Blue Sky Restaurant Group, which owns Jesse's. Jon Huntsman Jr., the former Republican governor of Utah and former United States Ambassador to China, made an appearance at the Hanover restaurant as part of his highly-publicized five-day tour of New Hampshire, which many political pundits think will precede a presidential campaign announcement.
The tour was Huntsman's first political act since leaving his Obama-appointed post as the U.S. Ambassador to China in April. The swarm of national reporters present at the event reflected the expectation of his candidacy, according to Packard.
"Some of the local affiliates weren't there and didn't really cover much of anything, while CNN, CBS and MSNBC were trying to get information the day before about parking and logistics," Packard said.
The energy of the meet-and-greet, during which Huntsman asked audience members to call him "Jon," indicated the high likelihood that Huntsman plans to begin a presidential campaign, according Derek Summerville '11, who attended the event.
"It definitely was a campaign visit," Summerville said. "His wife had a campaign spirit about her, and it's always telling how the family acts."
The event attracted a diverse group of attendees, according to Packard.
"There was a very good presence from the Dartmouth College community," she said. "I met one woman who had driven two hours for the event. Overall I would say we had a very good turnout."
Huntsman's success in New Hampshire will be crucial to his candidacy if he chooses to run for president because he is one of the least-known 2012 presidential contenders, according to Harry Enten '11, the author of the political blog "Margin of Error" and an event attendee.
Huntsman's visit to Jesse's was a good way to reach out to people in a largely liberal community and gain unlikely support, Summerville said.
"I asked why an Obama voter like me should vote for him and he responded that he had a moderate record, supported civil unions and cap and trade," Summerville said. "He speaks to things bigger than parties and politics because he talked a lot in generational terms like Obama did, and he emphasized that we don't want to lose this generation to bad economy and bad jobs."
Although only five days long, Huntsman's New Hampshire tour enabled him to visit many liberal areas, including the College, in the same way President Barack Obama visited Republican areas and won over voters he otherwise may have lost, according to Summerville.
"This type of face-to-face campaigning, rather than relying solely on ads or fly-ins to major urban airports, is possible in a small state and gives people a chance to take the candidate's measure," government professor Linda Fowler said. "Voters here expect candidates to do it not just one trip, but many."
Huntsman's choice to visit New Hampshire is especially important because he is doing poorly in various state polls, Enten said.
"The latest poll had him at 2 or 4 percent, which was way in the back, far behind Mitt Romney," he said. "He's not known at all in this state, and this was his first appearance."
Huntsman's visit will likely help him gain support in the New Hampshire primaries, according to Enten.
"He's got money, a good voice, a good personality and he looks like a presidential candidate," he said. "New Hampshire is a very important state for him because the primary is the week after the Iowa Caucus, where he likely won't do very well because the state is mostly evangelical."
Enten said Huntsman will "falter very badly" in a presidential bid if he cannot attract moderate voters.
Summerville said he would be "excited" if Huntsman won the Republican presidential nomination because he would like to see "worthy" candidates vying for the presidency.
"I think Huntsman is the exception in the Republican primary because he is not throwing political spitballs at other candidates," Summerville said. "He's the one Republican in the race who wants to talk about things in a presidential way and not a way that's purely partisan."
Jesse's has enjoyed several visits by high-profile presidential candidates in recent years, according to Packard. While at the restaurant, Huntsman answered a variety of questions from the audience about topics including Afghanistan, energy policy and American relations with China, The Washington Post reported.
"We hosted [Obama] during the New Hampshire primaries, and we hosted an episode of "Hardball [With Chris Matthews]" featuring [2008 presidential candidate] Senator John McCain," Packard said. "We've had quite a few political events before, and it's very advantageous to have that private room where they can speak."
The remainder of Huntsman's visit to New Hampshire included various meet-and-greets, and he delivered the commencement speech at the University of Southern New Hampshire on May 21.
Matt David, a representative from Huntsman's political action committee, Horizon PAC, did not respond to requests for comment by press time.
