OPINION

Addressing conservatives, Huntsman calls for big tent GOP

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Orlando (CNN) - Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman made a pitch for big tent Republicanism in a convention hall packed with hardcore Florida conservatives on Friday. And the crowd applauded. Politely, at least. "We must appeal to the tea party and to conservative Republicans, but we must also bring into the tent moderate Republicans, independents and yes, conservative Democrats," Huntsman told an audience at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando. Building a broad coalition is the only way to win a general election against President Barack Obama in 2012, he argued.