Huntsman quits U.S. presidential race

The former Utah governor and former U.S. ambassador to China made the announcement at a press conference in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, less than a week before the first-in-the-south primary takes place in the state.

"Today, I am suspending my campaign for the presidency. I believe it is now time for our party to unite around the candidate best equipped to defeat Barack Obama," he said. "Despite our differences and the space between us on some of the issues, I believe that candidate is governor Mitt Romney."

Rather than restoring bold and principled leadership, this campaign generated onslaught with personal and negative attacks against each other, he said, calling for campaigns that "cease attacking each other" and "talk to the American people."

Huntsman had mostly failed to gain traction in this election season, staying at the bottom of the pack in major national polls. He skipped the Iowa caucuses early this month and staked his candidacy almost entirely on a strong showing in the first-in-the- nation primary in New Hampshire last week.

However, a third-place finish in the New Hampshire primary failed to bring the momentum he needed to keep his campaign going. He did not receive a significant boost out of New Hampshire, as seen in the case for former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum after a strong showing in Iowa; Kazinform cites Xinhua.

To learn more go to www.xinhuanet.com/english2010/