Jon Huntsman Dropped From RNC Event For "Third Party" Call

Will this teach him a lesson?

Republican presidential hopeful Jon Huntsman departs the stage after announcing the suspension of his 2012 presidential bid in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, January 16, 2012.

Image by ERIC THAYER / Reuters

Former Governor and Ambassador Jon Huntsman has been uninvited from the Republican National Committee’s lavish donor gathering in Palm Beach this weekend, two sources with knowledge of the snub confirmed to BuzzFeed.

The former presidential candidate was slated to be a speaker at the “Regents” gathering of the party’s fundraisers and politicians, but was informed he is no longer welcome at the event.

His sin: Calling for a third-party presidential candidate to enter the race.

“I think we’re going to have problems politically until we get some sort of third party movement or some voice out there that can put forth new ideas,” Huntsman said on MSNBC last week. “We might not win, but we can certainly influence the debate.”

One GOP strategist told BuzzFeed that Huntsman was not personally informed by RNC Chairman Reince Preibus that he was uninvited, but that an RNC staff-member delivered the news to a former member of Huntsman’s presidential campaign staff.

A spokeswoman for the RNC said the committee would not comment on a private fundraising event.