Jon Huntsman Sr. provided nearly $2 million to the “Our Destiny” super PAC out of $2.7 million raised in an effort to put his son in the White House, according to a Federal Election Commission filing.
Huntsman was presumed to be the major backer of the outside spending group since its formation, but that was never confirmed. He is chairman of Huntsman Corp., a global chemical company. Jon Huntsman Jr., a former ambassador to China under President Barack Obama and ex-Utah governor, dropped out of the race after losing badly in New Hampshire.
Huntsman has endorsed Mitt Romney.
Virtually all of the independent expenditures made by Our Destiny presented Huntsman in a positive light. The former governor positioned himself as the only candidate who could defeat Obama in the general election.
Among some of the other large donors was Robert Arnott, founder of Research Affiliates LLC, a global investment firm. He gave the super PAC $250,000. The company has about $87 billion in assets, according to its website.
Jim and Christy Walton of Wal-Mart fame, together gave $150,000.
C. Boyden Gray, a Washington, D.C., lawyer and former appointee of former President George W. Bush, gave $50,000.
The super PAC shows $127,000 cash on hand with no debt.
This story has been updated.