Former Utah first lady tests positive for coronavirus

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Former Utah first lady Mary Kaye Huntsman, wife of current Republican candidate for governor Jon Huntsman Jr., said Thursday she has tested positive for COVID-19 just as her husband recovers from having the virus.

She said in an Instagram post she's worried about the rest of the household.

Jon Huntsman Jr., former ambassador to China and Russia, tweeted he plans to care for his wife because he is "fully recovered." He said other members of their family plan to get tested again. Several staffers from his campaign also have been infected.

Huntsman said on June 10 that he had tested positive and said he planned to isolate himself while his campaign pushed through with the June 30 primary election coming up. That announcement came after he was informed days earlier by local health officials that he had tested negative, but that turned out to be an incorrect result.

Huntsman participated this week in a televised candidate debate from an isolated room while the three other Republican candidates were in a different room. Huntsman, 60, is considered a front-runner along with Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox in the bid to win the GOP nomination and become the favorite in November election in the overwhelmingly red state.

His other opponents are former House Speaker Greg Hughes and former state GOP chair Thomas Wright.

Huntsman previously served as Utah governor until 2009, when he left to be the U.S. ambassador to China under then-President Barack Obama. Following a brief presidential run during the 2012 cycle, he served as ambassador to Russia under President Donald Trump before resigning and mounting his campaign for governor.