Asa Hutchinson's challenge to Trump for the GOP nomination
The former Arkansas governor breaks with party orthodoxy
![Asa Hutchinson](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/yEL5rrrKwwNBtgaXqx5Fs-415-80.jpg)
There is another Republican in the 2024 presidential race: Asa Hutchinson, until recently the governor of Arkansas. Hutchinson announced his candidacy on Sunday, Politico reports, and took dead aim at frontrunner Donald Trump — suggesting the former president should drop out of the race now that he has been indicted on criminal charges in New York.
"I mean, first of all, the office is more important than any individual person," Hutchinson told ABC News. "And so for the sake of the office of the presidency, I do think that's too much of a sideshow and distraction, and he needs to be able to concentrate on his due process."
That almost certainly won't happen. Instead, Hutchinson joins a growing crowd running for the GOP's presidential nomination in 2024 — a group that includes Trump, obviously, but also former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy. (Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is clearly preparing to run, but hasn't formally made an announcement yet.) But Hutchinson is probably the most openly anti-Trump candidate in the field. USA Today reports that Hutchinson says Trump shouldn't be the nominee "because of how democracy was undermined on January 6 … and how he seems to lead with chaos versus the best interests of the country."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
![https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516-320-80.jpg)
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Hutchinson's background
Hutchinson, 72, has been on the national political scene a long time: In the late 1990s — as a U.S. congressman from Arkansas — he was one of the leaders in the effort to impeach then-President Bill Clinton. "Anybody who observed me at that time knows I was just trying to help the country through a difficult time," he told Politico in 2014 during his first gubernatorial run.
He spent just four years in Congress before moving into the administration of George W. Bush — first as head of the Drug Enforcement Administration, then as an undersecretary in the Department of Homeland Security. He won the Arkansas governor's race in 2014, and re-election in 2018, before leaving office earlier this year because of term limits.
Hutchinson has robust conservative credentials, but he has occasionally departed from party orthodoxy: In 2021 he vetoed legislation to block transgender children from receiving puberty blockers and other medical care to help them transition, The Washington Post reports. "While in some instances the state must act to protect life, the state should not presume to jump into the middle of every medical, human and ethical issue," he said at the time. "This would be — and is — a vast government overreach." The legislature overrode his veto.
Challenging Trump
In a Republican Party defined by its fealty to Trump, Hutchinson has also been willing to break from the pack. He came out against Trump's nomination in 2022, telling the Associated Press a third straight GOP nomination for the former president is "really the worst scenario." He particularly criticized Trump's infamous social media statement about overturning the Constitution to reverse the results of the 2020 election. "I mean, any leader, former president that says suspend the Constitution is tearing at the fabric of our democracy," Hutchinson said.
At the moment, though, it seems unlikely Hutchinson will be able to stand in Trump's way. "His standing in polls of a hypothetical Republican presidential primary is so low, he rarely gets to a single digit," U.S. News & World Report says, "instead earning an em-dash level of support among Republican voters." But if Hutchison is merely making a vanity run for the White House, he's not giving any hints. "I do not have the same level of exposure or name ID as some others that are out there," Hutchinson told the Washington Post, "and we've just got to build it,"
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Joel Mathis is a writer with 30 years of newspaper and online journalism experience. His work also regularly appears in National Geographic and The Kansas City Star. His awards include best online commentary at the Online News Association and (twice) at the City and Regional Magazine Association.
-
Red Speedo: a 'darkly comic' doping drama
The Week Recommends Lucas Hnath's play stars Finn Cole as a 'reptilian' swimmer determined to win at all costs
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK Published
-
One Aldwych: where London's creative spirit takes centre stage
The Week Recommends This five-star Covent Garden hotel is the epitome of elegant independence
By Julia O'Driscoll, The Week UK Published
-
Charlotte Dujardin and equestrianism's dark side
In the Spotlight Olympic gold medallist and dressage star's suspension over horse whipping brings abuse in horse sports back into the spotlight
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
What has Kamala Harris done as vice president?
In Depth It's not uncommon for the second-in-command to struggle to prove themselves in a role largely defined by behind-the-scenes work
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
How Black organizations quickly pivoted and mobilized for Kamala Harris
In the spotlight Harris has a shot at being the first Black woman to lead the Democratic ticket
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
Harris clinches Democratic support, raises $81M
Speed Read President Joe Biden ended his reelection bid and endorsed her as his replacement
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
The attack on Donald Trump
Opinion We've seen this kind of shooter before
By Susan Caskie Published
-
How Biden's enablers may have delayed his bowing out
Talking Points Joe Biden's inner circle faces calls for a reckoning for allegedly shielding the president — and the public — from questions of aging and electoral viability
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Biden ends reelection bid, endorses Harris
Speed Read The sitting president gave his VP full support to replace him atop the Democratic ticket
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Biden tests positive for Covid in fresh blow to campaign
Speed Read The president said he would consider dropping out of the race if presented with a "medical condition"
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
The Democrats 'resigned to a second Trump presidency'
Talking Points Did the assassination attempt end Biden's election chances?
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published