Mistake keeps Huntsman off Arizona ballot

PHOENIX, Jan. 10 (UPI) -- A paperwork miscue by his campaign means Republican presidential hopeful Jon Huntsman won't be on next month's presidential primary ballot in Arizona.

While his paperwork was filed by Monday's deadline for the Feb. 28 primary, the former Utah governor's state representatives failed to include Huntsman's original notarized signature as required by law, submitting instead a photocopy, Capitol Media Services in Arizona reported.

Arizonans still have a wealth of Republican candidates on their primary ballots -- 23 of them, including former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, U.S. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas, former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Texas Gov. Rick Perry, along with seven Tucsonans who have never held public office, the media bureau said.

Phoenix hospital administrator Kip Dean concedes he has no chance of winning the primary, but says voters need options, given the field.

"Mitt seems like an OK guy," Dean said. "But when you start just putting everything that we've heard and what we've gone through, there's not a likable, vote-able candidate in the bunch."

Democrats, with an incumbent in the White House, decided not to participate in Arizona's primary this year, the media services bureau said. The Libertarian Party uses alternate methods to choose delegates to its own presidential convention.