WASHINGTON — Jon Huntsman, who initially staked his presidential campaign on New Hampshire, now heads to South Carolina, where a recent poll shows him trailing even satirical television host Stephen Colbert.
Colbert, who attempted unsuccessfully to buy naming rights for the first-in-the- South primary, is not a candidate in the race. But a new survey by the Democratic firm Public Policy Polling shows Colbert beating Huntsman if his name were to appear on the primary ballot Jan. 21.
The survey found Mitt Romney leading in South Carolina with 27 percent support among likely primary voters, followed by Newt Gingrich with 23 percent, Rick Santorum with 18 percent, Ron Paul with 8 percent and Rick Perry with 7 percent. Colbert had 5 percent, beating out Huntsman’s 4 percent and Buddy Roemer’s 1 percent.
Denver Post wire services
