Asa Hutchinson takes aim at Biden and ignores Trump during 2024 campaign launch
Ryan King
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Former Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R-AR) came out swinging against President Joe Biden when he jump-started his 2024 campaign Wednesday.
In a roughly 23-minute speech that was largely devoid of references to his top primary foe, former President Donald Trump, Hutchinson cast himself as a battle-tested true conservative equipped with the experience needed to revitalize the Republican Party and “bring out America’s best.”
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“As a nation, we have proven resilient in our democracy, and we have endured through times of war and hardship. And I’m confident we will even survive through the disruptive policies of the Biden administration. But the time for change is now. It is time to bring out the best of America,” he proclaimed.
Nationally, the governor made a name for himself as an unabashed Republican critic of Trump, often harping on the latter’s take-no-prisoners political style. Although he was sure to pitch himself as a savior of the GOP, Trump went unmentioned by name. At one point, however, he blamed “both Democratic and Republican administrations” for the $31.4 trillion national debt.
“I’ve been a consistent conservative through my time as leader of the party in the United States Congress and as governor. And now, I bring that same vigor to a fight in another battle, and that battle is for the future of our country and the soul of our party,” Hutchinson said.
Hutchinson’s policy-driven campaign launch speech panned Biden on the economy, immigration, law enforcement, the “disastrous” withdrawal from Afghanistan, and foreign policy broadly. He also assailed the “few misguided leaders” who have toyed with defunding the FBI and police, subtly knocking Republicans and Democrats.
“The Biden administration has stood on the sidelines and passively watched as rampant crime destroys our cities with smash-and-grab robberies and a flagrant disrespect for human dignity and the rule of law,” Hutchinson said.
His speech was delivered in Bentonville, Arkansas, where he announced his first run for office. Hutchinson also made overtures to the conservative base, vowing to slash federal spending and recalling his resistance to heavy-handed pandemic suppression policies.
“I demonstrated how we can lead through a pandemic without closing down every business and shutting down our schools,” Hutchinson said. “When I had pressure from Washington and the national media to shelter in place, I said, ‘No.’ And the result was that our businesses survived and prospered.”
Unlike other candidates, Hutchinson made no secret about his 2024 intentions, having revealed earlier this month that he would run. At the time, the country was rocked by the bombshell 34-count criminal indictment of Trump over an alleged “catch and kill” scheme against damaging stories during his 2016 campaign. Trump has denied wrongdoing.
“I am going to be running. And the reason, as I’ve traveled the country for six months, I hear people talk about the leadership of our country, and I’m convinced that people want leaders that appeal to the best of America and not simply appeal to our worst instincts,” Hutchinson said at the time during an interview on ABC’s This Week.
Hutchinson served as governor of Arkansas from 2015 until January this year, having been term-limited. His successor, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R-AR), worked as Trump’s White House press secretary but has yet to endorse him, though her father, former Gov. Mike Huckabee (R-AR), did.
His campaign launch comes a day after Biden debuted his reelection campaign. Hutchinson has recoiled at the prospect of a “Biden-Trump replay of 2020,” which he described as “painful then; it would be painful again.”
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A trove of polls shows Hutchinson trailing the hypothetical GOP field, struggling to breach 1% in the latest RealClearPolitics polling aggregate. Over the past six months, he has swung through early primary states to test the waters.
He joined a field that includes Trump, former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, and entrepreneur and author Vivek Ramaswamy. Others, such as Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) and former Vice President Mike Pence, are also weighing a run.