Signaling: Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas says trips to Iowa show he’s ‘serious’ about potential 2024 run

Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson admits his two trips this week to Iowa, a state whose gatherings for half a century flew off the Republican presidential nominating calendar, a sign that he is seriously considering running for the White House.

“Going to Iowa probably sends some signals that you’re serious about 2024,” Hutchinson, who just served eight years as governor, told Fox News.

Hutchinson was interviewed during his Thursday-Friday trip to Hawkeye State, where he attended Governor Kim Reynolds’ second inauguration and also met with other GOP leaders to help celebrate Iowa’s Republican victory in November’s midterm elections. Hutchinson was also in Iowa on Monday when he addressed the GOP legislative breakfast.

The limited-term governor was replaced on Tuesday by Sarah Huckabee Sanders as a former White House press secretary during the then-President Trump administration and the daughter of former longtime Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who was inducted.

FIRST ON FOX: HUTCHINSON RETURNS TO IOWA FOR SECOND TRIP IN A WEEK

Former Republican Governor Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas (right) teams up with newly inaugurated Iowa Lieutenant Governor Adam Gregg Friday, January 13, 2023, in Des Moines, Iowa.
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Hutchinson said his trips this week “give me an opportunity to listen to the people of Iowa and their leaders about the problems they are facing and the solutions they are looking for.”

The conservative former governor argued that President Biden’s “failed policies” exacerbated the “border crisis and the fentanyl that hit Iowa.” He also pointed to high interest rates, which he blames for what he calls “Biden’s economic failures.”

Hutchinson says desire to ‘CREATE THE FUTURE’ of GOP could lead to 2024 election

Hutchinson called the welcome he received from the people of Iowa “very welcoming” and emphasized “the connection between agricultural states like Arkansas and Iowa and everything we share in terms of the challenges we face – many of the same values ​​shared by communities here. So there is a real connection.”

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and First Lady Susan Hutchinson watch as their granddaughter Jaella Wengel (left) and daughter Sarah Wengel (center) unveil the official portrait of the governor Tuesday, January 3, 2023, at the State Capitol in Little Rock. , Ark. Hutchinson left office on January 10 after serving eight years as governor. (AP Photo/Andrew DeMillo)
(AP Photo/Andrew DeMillo)

His trips to Iowa this week followed a stop on Nov. 16 when he spoke to the West Side Conservative Club in Des Moines. Last year, he also made two visits to New Hampshire, which is hosting the second contest on the Republican Party’s presidential nomination calendar. His trips included an April trip to headline the Politics and Eggs series at the New Hampshire Policy Institute, a mandatory stop for White House hopefuls. He also traveled to South Carolina, which is third on the Republican list.

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A former U.S. Attorney-turned-Congressman who served as DEA Administrator and Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security under then-President George W. Bush, Hutchinson touts himself as a “consistent conservative.”

Hutchinson, who ran the National Governors Association last year, has been mulling over a 2024 White House nomination for months. Last summer, in an interview with Fox News Digital, he said he wanted to be involved in shaping the future of the Republican Party, and “that could lead to a future presidential campaign.”

Republican Governor Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas is interviewed by Fox News July 13, 2022 in Portland, Maine.
(Fox News)

Asked about his deadlines, Hutchinson said this week: “I don’t think we need to set artificial deadlines.” But pointing to the possibility of early-voting states having presidential forums as early as April, with debate possibly starting in July, he added that “there’s a practical time frame you’re looking at.”

“Decisions should be made at the beginning of the second quarter or somewhere in the first quarter,” he stressed. “I’m not setting artificial deadlines – I want to make sure that if I become a candidate, there will be the necessary financial support.”

“You measure the response to our vision and your message for America, and make sure you can be a strong candidate if you do jump. This is what I am doing now,” he explained.

Former President Donald Trump is already in the race for the Republican presidential nomination, and there is a strong possibility that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and former South Carolina Governor have become former UN ambassadors. Nikki Haley is also running for the Republican nomination.

Asked how someone like Hutchinson could compete with bigger names and bigger military funds, the former governor said, “You have to work hard, and that’s what’s attractive in a place like Iowa. They like to look you in the eye and make a decision. This is the country of retail politics that I’m used to. It is getting to know people and their problems and presenting your case to them. That’s the beauty of American democracy.”

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And Hutchinson emphasized that his decision to run would not depend on any other actual or potential presidential candidate.

“We will make the decision ourselves,” he said.