The Hill News

Mitt Romney has been at the front or near the front of the Republican presidential field because he's been campaigning for the last six years, rival Jon Huntsman said.

"He’s been at it for six years. People who have been at it for six years who have basically sprinkled a lot of money in different congressional districts over the last five to six years definitely have a head start," Huntsman said Monday on Fox News.

Romney ran for the GOP nomination in 2008, which was ultimately taken by Arizona Sen. John McCain.

Romney has led or remained near the lead in most Republican primary polls, although recent polling found that the former Massachusetts governor's approval has remained at around 23 percent over the past few months. Still, that's a much more comfortable position in the national polls compared to Huntsman, which found the former Utah governor lagging near the end of the pack.

On Sunday Romney's campaign announced that forme! r New Hampshire Gov. John Sununu had endorsed his presidential campaign. In response, Huntsman sent Sununu a letter challenging the idea that Romney is a true conservative governor.

The support of New Hampshire Republican legislators, former and current, is of particular importance to Huntsman's campaign, which hopes to do well in the early primary state and use that momentum to future successes elsewhere.