Jon Huntsman To Bow Out And Endorse Mitt Romney Tomorrow

After getting third place in the New Hampshire primaries and struggling to keep his campaign going in South Carolina, Jon Huntsman is finally throwing in the towel and calling its quits: 

Jon M. Huntsman Jr. informed his advisers on Sunday that he intends to drop out of the Republican presidential race, ending his candidacy a week before he had hoped to revive his campaign in the South Carolina primary.

Mr. Huntsman, who had struggled to live up to the soaring expectations of his candidacy, made plans to make an announcement as early as Monday. He had been set to participate in an evening debate in Myrtle Beach.

Matt David, campaign manager to Mr. Huntsman, confirmed the decision in an interview Sunday evening. “The governor and his family, at this point in the race, decided it was time for Republicans to rally around a candidate who could beat Barack Obama and turn around the economy,” Mr. David said. “That candidate is Gov. Mitt Romney.”

Jon Huntsman will make his official announcement tomorrow:

Sources said there is an 11 a.m. endorsement expected tomorrow, followed a few hours later by a scheduled 2 p.m. meeting for all of Huntsman’s staff.

I'm sure this announcement will be a huge relief for Huntsman campaign staff because they wanted Jon to quit after the New Hampshire primary so that they could work for Romney's campaign:

Days after his third place finish in New Hampshire, some Huntsman for President staffers have already left the campaign, while others tell BuzzFeed they wish the former Utah governor would drop out so they could join Mitt Romney’s team.
One top volunteer told BuzzFeed that he was shocked Huntsman didn’t drop out on Tuesday. “I was hoping he would. I don’t want to be disloyal or anything, but he doesn’t have a chance anymore. Once he quits, then I can go work for a winning campaign.”
A current staffer echoed those sentiments, saying Huntsman should have gotten out after New Hampshire to allow those who’ve worked for him to find another job. “We’re not going to quit, but we don’t really want to keep going either.”

Jon Huntsman's endorsement may help Mitt Romney since it might get more liberal republicans, moderates and independents to rally around Romney. It will be interesting to see how his departure will impact the South Carolina primary and whether or not his endorsement will help Mitt on Saturday.