🎙️ Voice is AI-generated. Inconsistencies may occur.
Former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson announced on Sunday that he is challenging Donald Trump in the 2024 Republican presidential primary.
"I have made a decision, and my decision is I'm going to run for president of the United States," Hutchinson, who served as governor from 2015 to 2023, said during an interview with journalist Jonathan Karl on ABC News' This Week.
The former governor said he will make a formal campaign announcement later in April in Arkansas. He added that he was motivated to run by his belief that voters want presidential candidates who appeal to the "best of America."
"The reason, as I've traveled the country for six months, I hear people talk about the leadership of our country. I'm convinced that people want leaders that appeal to the best of America and not simply appeal to our worst instincts. That inspires me when I see everyday Americans just saying, 'Give us good leadership. Give us common sense, consistent conservatism and optimism about our great country," Hutchinson said. "That inspires me, and I believe I can be that kind of leader for the people of America."
EXCLUSIVE: Former Gov. Asa Hutchinson announces 2024 presidential bid.
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) April 2, 2023
“This is one of the most unpredictable political environments that I've seen in my lifetime. So my message of experience, of consistent conservatism...I think that that resonates.” https://t.co/DmytxAAfAL pic.twitter.com/ETkXVQUXso
Hutchinson, who has at times offered criticisms against Trump, is viewed as a more traditional conservative alternative to Trump, who served as president from 2017 to 2021, but lost the 2020 race to President Joe Biden.
The former governor has long said it is time for the GOP to move past Trump. Last May, he said that the former president "should not define" the future of the Republican Party. Meanwhile in an interview with CNN last November, he knocked the "chaos" Trump brings to the party.
Meena Bose, the executive dean of Hofstra University's Peter S. Kalikow School of Government, Public Policy and International Affairs, told Newsweek on Sunday that Hutchinson's candidacy represents the "widening field" of candidates running in the GOP field.
"What you see is a two-term governor...who I think could potentially command solid support. He brings a strong state-level executive experience," Bose said, noting that state governorships have historically been seen as a route to the White House.
Bose said it is too early to say how well Hutchinson will do, but noted that he has been involved in politics for decades. She added that Hutchinson is the only GOP candidate to say Trump should drop out of the race.
"He certainly raises that issue for Republican candidates to consider, as the indictment and the legal process in New York develops," Bose said, referring to Trump being indicted in a Manhattan investigation into a hush payment allegedly made to adult film actor Stormy Daniels during his 2016 campaign.
"We know the chaos that comes with him and that's really not the kind of leadership that is good for America and really the future of our party," he said.
Hutchinson has also broken with some Republicans, including Trump, over the party's stance on the Russia-Ukraine war. In February, he released a statement urging the GOP to continue providing aid to the war-torn country, despite calls from some to limit this support.
A handful of other high-profile Republicans, including former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, have also announced campaigns. Several others are expected to make decisions in the coming months.
What Polls Say About Hutchinson's Chances of Beating Trump
Polls suggest that Hutchinson enters the Republican primary as an underdog candidate. Trump, who remains fairly popular with the GOP base despite a waning approval rating overall, leads most polls and is viewed as the frontrunner in the primary election.
According to a Fox News poll conducted from March 24 to 27, only 1 percent of Republican primary voters said they planned to back Hutchinson. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 4.5 percentage points. Other polls have similarly found Hutchinson polling in the low single digits.
A Morning Consult survey released last April found that Hutchinson was one of the most popular governors in the United States. Sixty-three percent of Arkansas residents gave Hutchinson positive marks, while 29 percent disapproved, according to the poll.
Newsweek reached out to Hutchinson's America Strong Free PAC via its website for comment.
Update 4/2/2023, 10:47 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
Update 4/2/2023, 2:55 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with comment from Meena Bose.
About the writer
Andrew Stanton is a Newsweek weekend reporter based in Maine. His role is reporting on U.S. politics and social issues. ... Read more