Huntsman Woos the Pin-Striped Republicans

Standing outside a New Hampshire farmhouse in a faded jean jacket and brown corduroys, Republican Presidential hopeful Jon Huntsman Jr. issues a measured call for change. "This election cycle will put before all of us the prospect of a lost decade of growth," he says. "Or do we want to unleash the economic magic this country has shown the world time and time again?"

It's a campaign pitch better suited for a corporate boardroom than a Sunday barbecue in rural Franklin, N.H. That's O.K. with Huntsman, who says no candidate is connecting with business leaders the way he does. "I don't think there's any potential candidate in the field who's had as many conversations as I've had with CEOs," said the onetime Utah governor and former ambassador to China in an interview as he traveled to Concord. "I've had practically a CEO a day drop by in my life either as governor or as U.S. ambassador."