Arkansas Republican Governor Asa Hutchinson says he IS considering a run for president and doesn’t believe Trump will have an impact because he ‘knows the chaos that comes with him’
- Asa Hutchinson is finishing his second and final term as governor of Arkansas at the end of this year, to be succeeded by Sarah Huckabee Sanders
- He’s said previously that he was considering running for president next
- Hutchinson ratcheted up the certainty on Thursday, telling CNN’s morning show that he was giving a 2024 campaign ‘intense’ thought
- A slew of GOP governors have been held up as potential Trump 2024 rivals
- The former president announced he’d mount a third White House campaign during an event at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Tuesday night
Arkansas’ term-limited Republican governor said on Thursday that his next political move could be facing down Donald Trump in a 2024 presidential primary.
Governor Asa Hutchinson, who previously indicated he was toying with his own White House bid, told CNN Mornings that he was now ‘absolutely’ considering throwing himself into the race.
Unlike in 2020, when Trump ran unchallenged, a growing list of Republicans are now said to be eyeing a political takedown of the GOP‘s de facto leader.
Hutchinson on Thursday shrugged off concerns, however, that the primary could instead be a repeat of 2016 – when then-candidate Trump managed to topple each of his opponents in a crowded field where they were also knocking out each other.
‘I don’t believe it will be the same as 2016. He’s a known quantity now. We know the chaos that comes with him,’ Hutchinson said. ‘And that’s really not the kind of leadership that’s good for America and really the future of our party.’
While the field outside of the former president has evolved, Hutchinson said ‘people understand who Donald Trump is today and his style, and I don’t think there’s going to be anything new in his approach.’
If Trump’s official campaign announcement at Mar-a-Lago is any indication, the governor may be right.
Speaking from his opulent Florida ballroom for little more than an hour on Tuesday night, Trump laid out a series of campaign promises and complaints about the Biden administration that were not dissimilar to the rally speeches he’s delivered in the two years since leaving office.
Barely any top Republican names showed up outside of Trump’s close circle, while networks like Fox News cut away from his remarks.. And the event has divided the Republican Party in its wake.
Vocal allies of the former president like Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Ronny Jackson immediately fell in line to endorse his 2024 bid.
The likely next House Speaker, Kevin McCarthy, has stood beside Trump and helped him revive his career after the January 6 riot – but even he would not tell reporters on Wednesday whether he’d endorse the ex-president.
Others, like Hutchinson and former Trump Pentagon chief Mark Esper, outright panned it.
Asked directly if he was considering his own presidential bid, Hutchison told CNN without hesitation: ‘Absolutely.’
‘I’m looking at it – looking at it very seriously. After the midterm elections, it’s more intense and it’s an accelerated review,’ Hutchinson said.
‘And after going to Iowa, I’m encouraged that a governor who’s actually solved problems, who has a conservative common sense approach, can draw support and can be a good alternative.’
The governor said he’d make his final decision in January.
Still, Hutchinson acknowledged that there would be a ‘tough internal battle’ within the Republican Party before anyone could wrestle control from Trump.
‘That’s the reality of it. We have to face that. We’ve got to overcome it. And we’ve got to pull everybody together,’ he said.
‘We understand the playing field here. You’ve got a former president that’s got a very loyal following, you’ve got a bellicose part of our party, and we’ve got to compete with ideas, with the tone, with the problem-solving approach.’
He added, ‘I’d like to think that wins, but we’ll see.’
While normally Congressional candidates make up the majority of presidential primary contenders in recent election cycles, this year brings a spate of GOP governors who could be facing off against Trump for the nomination.
In addition to Hutchinson, Florida’s Ron DeSantis and Virginia’s Glenn Youngkin have topped the list of potential candidates. Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan has also said he was giving it consideration, and New Hampshire’s Chris Sununu’s name has been floated as well.