Asa Hutchinson to get Super PAC aid for his possible White House run
As he seriously considers a run for the White House, former two-term Republican Gov. of Arkansas Asa Hutchinson will get a helping hand from an outside group that’s launching with some early financial backing.
The America Strong and Free Action super PAC, which will support Hutchinson if he goes ahead and launches a 2024 GOP presidential campaign, is now up and running. The super PAC has been funded with an initial $1 million contribution from a single donor in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Former Hutchinson campaign manager Jon Gilmore, who served as the governor’s deputy chief of staff, is chairman of the new group, which shares a name with America Strong and Free, a political advocacy group aligned with Hutchinson.
“Governor Asa Hutchinson’s voice is important to the national stage. His background is second to none with experience at all levels of government and the private sector. He is a voice of reason in tumultuous times and his vision for our Party means getting back to the principles that made the Republican Party strong — principles inspired in Hutchinson from one of his mentors, President Ronald Reagan,” Gilmore said in a statement.
Hutchinson left office in January due to term limits, and was succeeded by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the former White House press secretary during then-President Trump’s administration and the daughter of former longtime Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. As he concluded his tenure as governor, Hutchinson made back-to-back trips to Iowa, the state that for a half century has kicked off the presidential nominating calendar.
Hutchinson called the reception he received from Iowans “very welcoming,” and said his stops gave him “an opportunity to listen to Iowans and their leaders about the challenges they face and also solutions that they’re looking at.”
His trips this week to Iowa follow a Nov. 16 visit, when he addressed the Westside Conservative Club in Des Moines. He also paid two visits last year to New Hampshire, which holds the second contest in the Republican Party’s presidential nominating calendar.
His trips included an April trip to headline the “Politics and Eggs” speaking series at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics, a must-stop for White House hopefuls. He has also traveled to South Carolina, which votes third in the Republican schedule.
A former federal attorney turned two-term congressman who served as Drug Enforcement Administration administrator and Department of Homeland Security undersecretary during then-President George W. Bush’s administration, Hutchinson touts that he’s a “consistent conservative.”
When asked about his timeline, Hutchinson said “I don’t think we have to set an artificial time frame.” But pointing to the likelihood of presidential forums in the early voting states as early as April and debates possibly starting in July, he added that “there is a practical time frame that you look at.”