Gay Marriage Advocate Abby Huntsman, Daughter of Former Republican Presidential Contender Jon Huntsman, Eyeing Political Run? 'Never Say Never'

By Benge Nsenduluka, CP Reporter Friday, January 02, 2015

Republican presidential candidate and former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman speaks at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, January 16, 2012. Huntsman said on Monday he was suspending his presidential campaign and would endorse front-runner Mitt Romney. | (Photo: Reuters/Chris Keane)

Abigail "Abby" Huntsman, daughter of 2012 Republican presidential candidate Jon Huntsman, is eyeing a career in politics.

The 28-year-old University of Pennsylvania graduate is a political commentator and co-host on MSNBC's "The Cycle." On the show Huntsman, a Republican, often shares conservative viewpoints but she's far more liberal when it comes to issues surrounding same sex marriage and immigration.

She recently commented that she's thinking about following in her father's footsteps by pursuing a career in politics and revealed that should this occur, it will be back in her home state of Utah.

"Never say never, right?" she told The Salt Lake Tribune on Dec. 31, 2014. "My dad has always raised us to serve. You've seen that with my brothers going in the military. ... If there was an opportunity that made sense somewhere, where I felt like I had the right message to move it in the right direction and to help out, of course you take that seriously."

Huntsman and her sisters, Elizabeth (Liddy) and Mary Anne, first came into the spotlight in 2011 based on their strong social media presence during their father's presidential campaign.

Despite their ability to make their father more relatable to voters — their "Jon 2012 Girls" YouTube videos revealed his humorous side — he lost the GOP nomination to Mitt Romney.

Mary Kaye Huntsman (2nd R), wife of Republican Presidential candidate Gov. Jon Huntsman, poses for a photo with her son-in-law Jeff Livingston (L) and her daughters Abby Livingston (2nd L), Liddy Huntsman (C) and Mary Anne Huntsman (R) while welcoming delegates at the entrance to the straw poll during the Republican Party of Florida Presidency 5 Convention in Orlando, Florida, September 24, 2011. | (Photo: Reuters/Phelan Ebenehack)

Elizabeth said that while her sister is proudly conservative, particularly when it comes to fiscal issues — she made headlines last year when she expressed deep concerns about social security — she represents a new wave of Republicans that younger generations can relate to.

"[She's] an example of the millennial, modern-day Republican. A lot people are on the same page with her, versus Fox News. Someone my age, I'm not going to watch Fox News because I don't really connect with their views," Elizabeth said of Huntsman.

In 2013 the young conservative, who's married to her college sweetheart Jeffrey Bruce Livingston, appeared in a controversial YouTube video endorsing gay marriage alongside other young Republicans, like Meghan McCain and Margaret Hoover. While she's aligned with the GOP, she refuses to be a spokeswoman for the Republican party.

"If I came in as a Republican talking head, I wouldn't have survived," Huntsman said of her role on MSNBC's "The Cycle."

"If I had to stay with the talking points that I didn't necessarily agree with â,€ I don't know how people do that. Whatever I say, I have to genuinely believe," she asserted.

Jon Huntsman is a former United States ambassador to China and served as the governor of Utah from 2004 to 2009. He once attributed his daughter's career success to her having "deep compassion for others."

"She's not an advocacy journalist, which is what you see a lot of today," Huntsman said. "She's an old-school journalist. She wants to get the story right, wants to convey to the listening audience the passion, the emotion, the politics of the moment without the proverbial political spin."