Republican Utah gubernatorial candidate Jon Huntsman Jr. announced Wednesday he has tested positive for COVID-19.
Huntsman is the former ambassador to Russia and China, serving under both President Donald Trump and former President Barack Obama. He stepped down from his position as governor in Utah to serve as the U.S. ambassador to China for Obama, then ran in the 2012 Republican presidential primary.
Currently, Huntsman is looking to serve another term as Governor of Utah in the upcoming 2020 election. (RELATED: Matthew McConaughey Talks About Race In America With Emmanuel Acho)
“After a second try, test results came back positive for Covid-19,” Huntsman said in a tweet. “Have been experiencing classic symptoms..like so many others, my goal is to keep my family safe. Though isolated temporarily, we’ve never been more energized in this important race for Governor. The work goes on!”
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. Though isolated temporarily, we’ve never been more energized in this important race for Governor. The work goes on!
— Jon Huntsman (@JonHuntsman) June 10, 2020
Last week, Huntsman went into quarantine after learning one of his staff members had tested positive for the virus. Initially, his first test came back negative for COVID-19, according to the LA Times. He was told the negative results were “wrong,” and later, that his test sample had been destroyed, according to KSL.com.
Over 100,000 people have lost their lives due to the virus with an estimated 1.9 million cases nationwide, according to the Washington Post.