Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) argued that the Republican Party needs “more voices” opposing former President Donald Trump after former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) ruled out a 2024 run.
Hogan revealed he was bowing out of 2024 consideration to avert a “pileup of a bunch of people fighting” that could pave the way for another Trump primary victory. While commending Hogan, Hutchinson countered that the dynamic is different from 2016, where Trump bulldozed his way through 16 GOP peers.
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“I actually think that more voices right now in opposition or providing an alternative to Donald Trump is the best thing,” Hutchinson told CNN’s State of the Union with Jake Tapper and Dana Bash. “This is not 2016. Donald Trump is a known quantity. He makes his message of revenge clear, and it’s different.”
A bevy of Republicans opposed to Trump are worried that a large field would splinter the vote against Trump. Both Hogan and Hutchinson have been fierce public critics of Trump and have urged the party to move on from him.
“We need to have alternatives again to Donald Trump. We don’t need to be led by arrogance and revenge in the future. We need to be led by those that are problem-solving, that want to stick with the principles of our party and unite us together,” he added.
When pressed about his decision on whether to run, Hutchinson revealed that his “message” month will be March, while April is when he will make his decision. A deluge of polls show Hutchinson trailing Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), but he has kept his options open.
Amid the internal party division between Trump’s supporters and those fiercely opposed to him, the Republican National Committee has been contemplating mandating a pledge requiring candidates to commit to backing the eventual party nominee in order to participate in the debates.
Hutchinson has previously voiced frustration over the potential pledge, citing his moral concerns with Trump. He argued that rather than enforcing a loyalty pledge, the party should instead require candidates to commit that they won’t embark on a third-party run if they lose the primary.
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“I think the goal of what the RNC is trying to do is to avoid a third-party candidate,” Hutchinson said. “The motivation is to keep Donald Trump, if he doesn’t win the primary, [from] running as a third-party candidate, and I applaud that. And so if you’re going to have a pledge, have it say that.”
Trump has so far declined to commit to adhering to the proposed pledge.
