(Kim Jarrett, The Center Square) Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson aimed at President Joe Biden’s policy in his Wednesday announcement as a 2024 presidential candidate and did not mention his Republican opponents directly.
“In this campaign for president, I stand alone in terms of my experience, my record, and leadership from Congress to the DEA to homeland security,” Hutchinson said in Bentonville. “I have served our country in times of crisis.”
Hutchinson mentioned the economy first and blamed Biden for the higher inflation and interest rates.
“The Biden administration has turned its back on the American worker,” Hutchinson said. “To turn our economy around, we have to stop the ‘break the bank’ federal spending that has led to high inflation and rising interest rates.”
The former federal prosecutor aimed at both parties when addressing the national debt.
“Both Democratic and Republican administrations bear responsibility for our current $31 trillion national debt,” Hutchinson said. “I would like to say we would be debt free in ’33. Well, it might take longer than that.”
Hutchinson said he backed law enforcement, including federal agents.
“The argument to defund police is designed to undermine our rule of law,” Hutchinson said. “We should not defund the police. We should not defund the FBI. But we do need serious reform to re-function the core functions of federal law enforcement.”
Hutchinson enters an already crowded field for the Republican primary led by former President Donald Trump. Radio host and commentator Larry Elder, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy top the list as other announced candidates. South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott is also exploring a possible run. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is often mentioned as a candidate but he has not announced his intentions.
Hutchinson did not mention Trump in his campaign announcement but has said previously he doesn’t think Trump should run if he were indicted. A New York grand jury indicted Trump on 34 counts of falsifying business records.
Biden formally announced his candidacy early Tuesday morning.
