Jon Huntsman’s presidential campaign released a new video Thursday attacking rival Ron Paul for newsletters associated with the Texas congressman that were published in the 1990s.
The new ad is called “Unelectable,” and features news reports quoting bits of the newsletters, for which Paul has recently received criticism.
“Can New Hampshire voters really trust Ron Paul?” one slide in the ad reads.
Paul has recently denied knowledge of items in the newsletters bearing his name that warn of a “federal-homosexual cover-up” of AIDs, for example, and an impending “race war in our big cities.” The newsletters also called Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. a “world-class philanderer who beat up his paramours” and “seduced underage girls and boys.”
The new ad comes in addition to recent comments the former Utah governor made criticizing Paul for the newsletter.
“You’ve got to own up to that history, and ultimately he’s going to have to explain that to the American people if he wants to get enough support to actually be a legitimate player,” Huntsman said Wednesday, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Huntsman has focused most of his campaign resources in New Hampshire, and hopes to use a good showing there to catapult him to the front of the Republican presidential field. It’s no surprise he’s setting his sights on Paul — Huntsman has recently seen gains in New Hampshire and has generally trailed only Paul and longtime front-runner Mitt Romney in Granite State GOP primary polls.
“Rep. Paul’s newsletters raise serious questions about his judgment, character and whether New Hampshire voters can trust him to lead,” Huntsman spokesman Tim Miller said in a news release.
