Topline
Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) announced Sunday his campaign for the 2024 presidential election, joining a crowded field of Republicans challenging former President Donald Trump for the top of the party’s ticket.
Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson prepares to testify during the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in … [+]
Key Facts
Hutchinson told ABC News “I’m going to run for president of the United States.”
Hutchinson said Trump should drop out of the race now that he’s been indicted by a Manhattan grand jury over hush money payments to Stormy Daniels, saying “that’s too much of a sideshow and distraction,” though Hutchinson added that “he needs to be able to concentrate on his due process” and “there is a presumption of innocence.”
Hutchinson described himself as part of the “non-Trump lane” rather than the “anti-Trump lane,” and said he was “different” than the Republicans who are attacking Trump’s indictment more head-on, arguing “what I don’t want to do as a leader is undermine everything that is good about America, which is our criminal justice system.”
Hutchinson will formally kick off his campaign later this month, and recently spent a week in Iowa—which hosts the first caucus of the election.
Hutchinson said he also spent the last six months traveling around the country speaking to voters.
Tangent
Trump declared his 2024 presidential campaign last year, and held his first rally last week. Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley—who served as Trump’s UN ambassador—announced her campaign for the presidency in February, and investment firm manager Vivek Ramaswamy is also running for the GOP nomination. It’s largely expected that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will enter the race, and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former secretary of state Mike Pompeo both said they would soon announce whether they will run. Trump’s former Vice President Mike Pence says he’s also contemplating a run.
Contra
Winning the GOP nomination will be an uphill battle for Hutchinson. Trump remains an early frontrunner for the 2024 GOP nomination, holding a lead over DeSantis—his closest rival—in most polls. Most of the other prospective candidates are well behind Trump and DeSantis, and some surveys from last month showed Hutchinson polling at 1% or less.
Key Background
Hutchinson served as Governor of Arkansas from 2015 until January of this year, when former White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders took office. Hutchinson has previously criticized Trump, saying in earlier this year that “Jan. 6 really disqualifies him for the future.” Hutchinson previously served as a district attorney in Arkansas and represented the state in the House of Representatives. He also worked for the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Department of Homeland Security under former President George W. Bush.
Further Reading
Trump’s 2024 GOP Competition: Sen. Tim Scott Teases ‘Political Update’ As He Weighs Run For President (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/marisadellatto/2023/04/02/ex-arkansas-gov-asa-hutchinson-running-for-president-in-2024/