Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. (R) will resign from office to accept a nomination to become the ambassador to China, the Salt Lake Tribune reports.
An announcement is scheduled for Saturday.
"Huntsman, who had been mentioned as a potential Republican contender for the White House, has previously served as the Deputy United States Trade Representative and was the ambassador Singapore. He speaks Mandarin Chinese and he and his wife, Mary Kaye, have adopted a daughter from China."
Obama campaign manager David Plouffe recently said Huntsman was the only potential 2012 candidate that made him worried.