re: #240 wozzablog

Obama was better known than a lot of people gave him credit for being before he announced his pursuit of the presidency.

Long term state senator, key note speaker at the party convention, well publicised run for Senate seat in Illinois.
The base - those turned on by Democratic politics knew a lot about Obama before he announced on the steps in Springfield.

Huntsman doesn’t have that - and he doesn’t share the reflexive nationalistic populism of the GOP base. Utah is not a hot bed of interest for GOP locals (see Mormonism).
State Governor sure, but in Utah.

Sure, but the point was that a centrist can indeed do well. (US definition of centrist, anyway.)