HANCOCK, N.H. - Republican Jon Huntsman on Friday heard a major hurdle to his White House aspirations summed up in a single voter's question: "Aside from Utah, who are you?"

The little-known former Utah governor, who is almost certain to run for president, was using a five-day visit to the first-in-the-nation primary state to provide an answer to Republicans here and elsewhere searching for a candidate to challenge President Barack Obama.

"Get to know us. We're approaching this with honest and honorable intentions," Huntsman said at one stop, all but pleading with New Hampshire Republicans to hear him out even if their first inclination is to balk at him because he served as Obama's ambassador to China.

From intimate dinner conversations to small house parties and larger town hall events, Huntsman packed the schedule for his first retail-style campaign trip to a state that votes early in the GOP nominating process. He was making all the right moves and looking every bit the presidential candidate he is likely to become in the coming weeks.

His family traveled with him. He met privately with the state's political kingmakers. He lingered after each event to shake hands and engage in small talk. He stood among the crowds and not on stages or behind podiums. He dressed casually, opting for a denim jacket over a sports coat at some events. And he lined up veterans of previous New Hampshire political campaigns who know the terrain.

Today, Huntsman was set to deliver a commencement speech at Southern New Hampshire University.

It was all designed as a show of force, sending a message that he would campaign seriously in a state that would be central to his nomination strategy, even if rival Mitt Romney is considered the hometown favorite.

At each stop, Huntsman fielded questions about globalization and education, corporate tax rates and trade. He spent a half-hour being grilled on climate change, questioned on how he would pay for Social Security and asked for details on how a health care overhaul he implemented in Utah differs from national Democrats' effort.

When a voter asked the Huntsmans if they recycle, Mary Kaye Huntsman stepped in: "We just got home from China. We're still getting our trash cans."

Later Friday, the Huntsmans visited a Veterans of Foreign Wars post near the state capitol in Concord. Within minutes, veteran Rick Angwin was pushing Huntsman for a U.S. draft so military members wouldn't have to deploy as often.

"I happen to think the volunteer approach works but I'm going to think about what you're saying," Huntsman said.

But the friendly who-are-you question from a voter in Hancock stood out among the rest. It was, after all, the reason Huntsman was in New Hampshire.

"I am a dad. I am the father of seven kids," Huntsman said, then ticked through his professional resume: a former governor, business executive and member of three Republican administrations.

In describing his experience, he mentions but doesn't linger long on his time in the Obama administration, recognizing that the affiliation is toxic for the party's conservative base. And he offered a quick explanation - honed in the three weeks since he returned stateside - within three minutes of his first stop in New Hampshire.

"I'm the kind of person who, when I'm asked by my president, I stand up and serve my country," Huntsman said in Hanover, standing under a stuffed moose and exposed wooden beams.

He sought to play down a policy record that's more moderate than his rivals, telling voters that labels are too simple in politics.

Testing out a stump speech throughout his trip, Huntsman offered himself to voters as a candidate whose experience as a diplomat, business executive and politician could usher in what he calls America's third industrial revolution. He argues that the United States could grab hold of a high-tech revolution if Washington lowers taxes and reduces regulation.