(Headline USA) Gov. Asa Hutchinson, RINO-Ark., said this week that he wants to “lay the foundation” for a 2024 presidential run.
Speaking at the Arkansas Bar Association’s annual meeting, Hutchinson claimed he is “pretty concerned” about the direction of the GOP, and said he wants to be one of the people determining its future.
“I want to be a voice of problem-solving in government and not creating chaos, and so that is my mission,” Hutchinson said, according to Arkansas Online.
“I am doing what is necessary to lay a foundation for 2024, but let me assure you my first priority through the remainder of my term is Arkansas.”
The two-term governor is term-limited and will leave the role in January.
“We are not going to go out into the next role in life quietly,” he continued. “It’s going to be a very active finish to the term, and we got a lot to do.
“Stay tuned, and hope we can do some good things after my term as governor, and we will see where that leads.”
Hutchinson noted he won’t make any final decision about his 2024 plans until after the November midterms.
The Republican governor is best known for bucking his state’s conservative base on transgender and COVID-19 issues. He has already bucked former President Donald Trump, saying last year that he will not support Trump again if Trump decides to run in 2024.
Trump “should not define our future. We have got to define it for ourselves,” Hutchinson said, reiterating his position from May.
“I’ve made it clear: I think we ought to have a different direction in the future,” he told CNN. “I think he did a lot of good things for our country, but we need to go a different direction.”
