Former Republican Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson formally launched his 2024 presidential bid on Wednesday, posing a challenge to the Republican frontrunner and former US President Donald Trump.
Hutchinson’s speech portrayed him as a more moderate alternative to the party frontrunner Donald Trump.
Hutchinson was one of the fewest in the Republican Party, who, at the time of Trump’s indictment over hush payments to a porn star, said that the former president should pull out of the 2024 presidential race.
Who is Asa Hutchinson?
A practicing lawyer in Arkansas’ Fort Smith for 21 years, Hutchinson has reportedly handled more than 100 jury trials.
On two of the country’s biggest issues of electoral concern, abortion rights and immigration, Hutchinson’s stances have Republican written all over them.
As Arkansas governor, in March 2021, he signed SB6, a near-total abortion bill, into law. He said that the bill was intended “to set the stage for the Supreme Court overturning current case law [Roe Vs Wade].”
“I would have preferred the legislation to include the exceptions for rape and incest, which has been my consistent view, and such exceptions would increase the chances for a review by the US Supreme Court,” he had said.
Asa Hutchinson’s White House prospects
Hutchinson’s bid is considered a long-shot.
In his formal announcement speech, Hutchinson did not name Donald Trump. However, he appeared to break with the former president on foreign policy by decrying the isolationist approach Trump took to international issues during his time in the White House [2016-2021]
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“Isolationism only leads to weakness and weakness leads to war,” Hutchinson said. His formal kick-off speech followed an announcement earlier this month that he was running for president.
Hutchinson, who has little name recognition nationally, will present himself to Republican primary voters as a more moderate alternative to Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, another conservative fire-brand who is expected to announce his presidential campaign soon.
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