Jon Huntsman Jr. joins race for Utah governor

SALT LAKE CITY (Oct. 7)—Jon Huntsman Jr., chairman and CEO of Huntsman Family Holdings Co., will run for governor of Utah in 2004. The 43-year-old businessman is the son of Jon M. Huntsman Sr., who along with other family members owns Salt Lake City-based chemical giant Huntsman Corp., an international chemical manufacturing giant. Jon Huntsman Jr., a Republican, tossed his hat in the political ring after three-term incumbent governor Mike Leavitt was nominated by President Bush to head up the Environmental Protection Agency. Huntsman, a former U.S. trade ambassador and ambassador to Malaysia, joins Republican Nolan Karras and Democrat Scott M. Matheson as declared candidates in the race, but several other hopefuls are expected to file soon. The combined Huntsman group of companies makes basic products for a variety of global industries, including automotive, footwear, paints and coatings. Huntsman Family Holdings oversees the North American portion of the business empire. The group has annual revenues of about $8 billion.