Former Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) will face a steep path to the Republican nomination for president next year. The former Arkansas governor would have to defeat former President Donald Trump on his way to become the Republican nominee.
The former governor announced a bid for the White House this past weekend, telling ABC News, “I have made a decision, and my decision is I’m going to run for president of the United States.”
Hutchinson comes with considerable experience, including time in the House of Representatives and working in the George W. Bush White House.
The Arkansas Republican will face a number of serious candidates for the party’s 2024 nomination. Beyond Trump and DeSantis, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) announced her candidacy while former Vice President Mike Pence may soon join the fray.
While Hutchinson has a long resume, he has also alienated a number of conservatives during and after his time in office.
The former governor has been one of the strongest critics of Trump. Hutchinson called on the former president to drop out of the 2024 race.
Conservatives also point out his pro-mask stance during the pandemic and for backtracking on a law he signed restricting abortion.
And this morning promoted unconstitutional gun control measures like a complete squish on CNN. Asa Hutchinson's rhetoric on basic freedoms is indistinguishable from from that of the left. https://t.co/kEOjDpL407 https://t.co/0vVh8nZaKF
— Dana Loesch (@DLoesch) April 3, 2023
The former governor also faces a Republican field heavily aligned with the “America First” mindset associated with former President Trump. It is not clear how Hutchinson’s former affiliation with former President Bush will affect the candidate.
Furthermore, in 2021 Hutchinson vetoed a bill that would restrict Arkansas’ cooperation in federal gun control enforcement.
Hutchinson served two terms as governor prior to being succeeded by former Trump White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders in January 2023.
