Who is 2024 Republican Candidate Asa Hutchinson?

Asa HutchinsonR) has announced his candidacy for president, but the former Arkansas governor faces a tough battle against Republican front-runners former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Hutchinson, 72, represents a niche in politics, positioning herself as a traditional conservative alternative to Trump, embracing right-wing social causes while calling for a return to the neoconservative foreign policy of the pre-Trump years. He was one of the few prominent Republicans to strongly condemn Trump for the Jan. 6 riot and has gained headlines for his staunch opposition to the former president.

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson speaks during an interview with The Associated Press, Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2022, in Washington.

Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP

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Hutchinson began his political career in 1982 when President Ronald Reagan appointed him U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas, earning him national prominence as the nation’s youngest U.S. Attorney, according to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas. He gained more prominence in 1985 when he investigated and prosecuted the far-right group Pacte, Espasa y Braç del Senyor. He donned a bulletproof vest and personally negotiated an end to the armed confrontation between law enforcement and the group, according to THV 11.

He was elected to the House of Representatives in 1996, then appointed director of the Drug Enforcement Administration by then-President George Bush. He became Under Secretary for Border Security and Transportation at the Department of Homeland Security in 2003, before resigning in 2005.

His initial campaign for governor of Arkansas in 2006 failed, but his second campaign in 2014 was successful. During his term as governor from 2015 to 2023, Hutchinson had a mostly conservative record, instituting tax cuts, enacting an abortion ban that would apply if Roe v Wade was overturned, rolling back requirements of vaccination against COVID-19 and some restrictions on transgender people. youth in sport.

However, in 2021, he vetoed a bill that would have banned transgender medical procedures on minors, earning him the ire of Trump and many conservatives. He justified his decision by claiming that the bill was too restrictive and asked Republicans to revise their way of looking at social problems.

“I wanted to say to my Republican friends and colleagues that we need to rethink our commitment to all aspects of the culture wars. The Republican Party I grew up with believed in a moderate government that didn’t jump into the middle of every problem ” he said in an interview with NPR. “And in this case, it’s a very sensitive issue involving parents and doctors. And we have to defer to that decision-making unless there’s a compelling state reason. And I think that’s too extreme to sign off on -ho..”

“I listen to the experts. I make decisions. And this was a step too far, and I couldn’t abide by it,” he continued, referring to the bill that would ban puberty blockers and hormone replacement therapy. “Now, I have other bills coming across my desk as well. And, you know, I think we need to rethink as a party and as a nation. Let’s give medical professionals a little more deference.”

Hutchinson became increasingly critical of the former president in the months since the end of Trump’s presidency and has accused him of dividing the party. In recent months, he said Trump’s behavior on Jan. 6 was “disqualifying” and that winning the Republican nomination in 2024 would be the “worst case scenario.”

Although Hutchinson’s record is primarily conservative, in recent months he has made overtures to centrists, embracing some views at odds with many conservatives. In a recent speech, he said the United States should welcome refugees because they “love freedom and love America,” Politico reported.

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He has also distinguished himself by advocating for a greater US presence around the world.

Hutchinson announced his candidacy Sunday after hinting at it for nearly a year, but said he would make an official announcement later this month.

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