Utah gubernatorial candidate and former ambassador Jon Huntsman announced he has tested positive for coronavirus.
Huntsman said Wednesday he’s experiencing “classic symptoms” of COVID-19 and will self-isolate.
“After a second try, test results came back positive for COVID-19. Have been experiencing classic symptoms..like so many others, my goal is to keep my family safe,” Huntsman wrote on Twitter. “Though isolated temporarily, we’ve never been more energized in this important race for Governor. The work goes on!”
His positive test came after an initial incorrect negative result from the Salt Lake County Health Department. A second test came back positive. A staffer in his office tested positive last week.
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Huntsman served as a Republican governor of Utah until 2009, when he left the post to be U.S. Ambassador to China under President Barack Obama. He then served as ambassador to Russia under President Trump from 2017 to 2019, before leaving to mount his gubernatorial campaign.
Huntsman will face three other Republican candidates in a June 30 primary. He went into self-quarantine and canceled all appearances last week after learning of his staff member’s diagnosis.
His running mate, Provo Mayor Michelle Kaufusi, has been cleared to continue campaigning in person as she has not had recent contact with the infected staff, campaign manager Lisa Roskelley said.
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The Huntsmans are a well-known family in Utah. Huntsman’s daughter Abby Huntsman left her spot on “The View” in January to help run her father’s campaign. Huntsman’s father, Jon Huntsman Sr., was a billionaire businessman and philanthropist.
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His opponents are Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox, former state House Speaker Greg Hughes and former GOP chair Thomas Wright.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
