New Player: Jon Huntsman for Secretary of State?

Republican presidential candidate, former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr.,right, speaks at a campaign event where he was endorsed by Jeb Bush Jr., left, in Miami, Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2011. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

This is a switch.

The AP is reporting that President-elect Trump may not be any closer to selecting someone to fill the Secretary of State slot.

According to two people close to the transition, Trump is moving away from two of the front-runners for the job, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney, the 2012 GOP nominee. Giuliani’s international business ties and public campaigning for the job are said to have rankled Trump. And while Trump has met twice with Romney, he’s said to be aware of the risks of angering his supporters by tapping a Republican who was among his fiercest critics.

Former CIA director David Petraeus is still in the mix, though both people close to the transition said Trump’s prolonged decision-making process has left the door open to other options.

One of the sources said Trump was open to expanding his short list of secretary of State prospects. Among the possibilities: Jon Huntsman, a former Republican Utah governor who also served as the ambassador to China and speaks Mandarin.

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As of now, this is just rumor. Everyone has been kept guessing. While other cabinet picks seem more certain, the heat surrounding the Secretary of State job seems to be far more intense.

Perhaps it is because of the importance of the position on the world stage.

Stay tuned for this one.

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