The Hill News

Jon Huntsman may not qualify for an upcoming Republican presidential debate in Iowa.

According to The Des Moines Register, which is one of the debate hosts, the former Utah governor has not polled at 5 percent or above in a national Republican presidential primary poll or in the Iowa newspaper's poll â€" a requirement to attend the Dec. 10th debate at Drake University in Des Moines.

This isn't the first time Huntsman has been in danger of not meeting the minimum requirements to attend a debate. In October, it was uncertain whether Huntsman would meet the requirement to be polling at 2 percent or above in three separate polls in order to participate in a debate in Las Veg! as. Huntsman was able to meet the requirements but opted out of the debate in order to protest the pressure Republican leaders put on Nevada officials to move their caucus date.

Huntsman's campaign did not immediately respond to inquiries as to whether they expect him to appear at the debate.

In the face of low national poll numbers Huntsman has focused most of his campaign resources on New Hampshire, hoping that if he can perform well there he can use the momentum to win successive victories in subsequent Republican primaries. He has also focused some of his time and resources in South Carolina, another important early primary state.!

Huntsman's efforts in the Granite State seem to be! paying off modestly. A recent poll conducted by that conservative Rasmussen Reports found that Huntsman had 11 percent support of Republican voters in the state, the best showing so far in New Hampshire.

Huntsman's campaign said that the poll's findings are consistent with their internal polls as well.

“It’s largely consistent with the recent body of Granite State polling in which the governor has registered between 8 and 11 points,” a Huntsman campaign staffer said.

â€"This story was updated at 12:44 p.m.