MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. -- Jon Huntsman abandoned his once-promising campaign for the Republican presidential nomination on Monday and endorsed Mitt Romney as the man "best equipped to defeat Barack Obama"' in the fall.
The former Utah governor coupled his announcement with an appeal to the remaining contenders to stop attacking one another in television commercials. "At its core, the Republican Party is a party of ideas, but the current toxic form of our political discourse does not help our cause," he said.
He noted that he and Romney have had their differences, and he did not respond to questions when asked if he still believes -- as he said while campaigning for last week's New Hampshire primary -- that the former Massachusetts governor is out of touch and unelectable.
