Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson Announces Presidential Campaign for GOP Nomination

(TotalConservative.com) – Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced on Wednesday that he will be running for president in the 2024 election.

At a campaign launch event held in his hometown of Bentonville, Arkansas, Hutchinson officially announced his presidential candidacy. Hutchinson is the latest challenger of Trump for the GOP nomination.

During his announcement speech, Hutchinson said “I stand alone in terms of my experience, record, and leadership” in the presidential race. He cited his experience not only as governor of Arkansas, stating that his administration “cut taxes and created record surpluses,” but also serving in Congress, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

Hutchinson was also an attorney before he served in Congress and other government positions under the administration of George W. Bush, and described himself as a “consistent conservative.” He left office as governor of Arkansas in January because of term limits, being succeeded by current Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, former press secretary to the White House during the Trump administration as well as the daughter of former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.

After concluding his tenure as Arkansas governor, he already indicated his intentions to run for president by making multiple trips to Iowa, which is traditionally the state kicking off the calendar for presidential nominations. He also paid visits to the second and third states in the Republican primary order, which are New Hampshire and South Carolina.

During an interview, Hutchinson was asked how he will be able to compete with bigger names like Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is expected to enter the race soon, especially if Republicans clarify in the law that he will be able to without stepping down as governor. He will also be competing with Nikki Haley, former South Carolina governor and United Nations Ambassador.

Hutchinson said that a big part of it will be “hard work,” and that “you increase name identification by being out in the communities… raising money, being on television,” and communicating “in every which medium which you can.” He said he will work on these things over time, as well as standing out during the debates which “are an important part of the ability to get your message out.”