Asa Hutchinson Announces Presidential Run

Former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson has declared his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination. In addressing the announcement on ABC's This Week, Hutchinson noted his belief that people desire leadership that encourages the best of America, not only the worst.

The candidate is among a select few from the Republican party, joining former President Donald Trump and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley. Although Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is expected to join the field soon, he remains uncommitted.

Hutchinson has proclaimed that an official announcement will be made during the month of March in Bentonville, Arkansas.

Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee has declared his intention to run for president in 2020. The announcement comes after the former Governor spent days in Iowa, which will hold the first caucus of the presidential race, leading to speculation that he would enter the race.

The announcement comes just two days before President Trump is expected to surrender to authorities in New York following his indictment by a Manhattan grand jury related to hush-money payments made to adult-film star Stormy Daniels. President Trump is the first person to have lived in the White House to face criminal charges. In response to the indictment, Governor Huckabee has called on Trump to step aside from the race.

Former Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson, who is now running for the Republican nomination for the 2024 Presidential election, stands apart from the majority of his party by stating that a grand jury found probable cause for criminal charges. This is in contrast to the many in the GOP who have called the charges politically motivated.

Hutchinson was unable to run for re-election in 2022 due to term limits, and was succeeded by Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who formerly served as spokeswoman for President Donald Trump.

It is uncertain how Hutchinson's candidacy will fare in a party that is firmly behind the current president, with an NPR/PBS News Hour/Marist poll recently indicating that 80% of Republicans consider the investigations into Trump to be a "witch hunt" and 80% remain to have positive views of him.