Former Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson said he thinks there should be multiple “alternate” votes from Donald Trump in the 2024 GOP primary.
He was responding to former Maryland Governor Larry Hogan announcing that he will not run for the Republican nomination because he believes the race will become crowded with too many candidates unable to gain momentum from the current frontrunners.
Hutchinson, who like Hogan is an anti-Trump Republican, has not ruled out his own candidacy for president.
“In the early stages, it’s good for our party, good for the debate, good for the upcoming debate that will take place in August, if several candidates have different views than the former president,” Hutchinson said in an interview on Sunday morning. with CNN’s State of the Union program.
“And so that’s definitely going to narrow, and it’s probably going to narrow pretty quickly,” he continued. “We need to have a lot of self-assessment along the way, but I think more voices now with alternative messages and problem-solving and ideas are good for our party.”
Former Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson said there must be multiple candidates by 2024 to give “alternative” votes to Donald Trump. He said he will announce in April if he will participate
In an interview with CBS News’ Face the Nation released earlier Sunday, Hogan said after announcing he would not be competing in 2024, “I didn’t want a bunch of people fighting.”
“Right now you have — you know, Trump and DeSantis at the top of the field, they’re sucking up all the oxygen and getting all the attention,” he explained. “And then a lot of the rest of us in single digits and the more you have, the less chance you have of someone revolting.”
However, Hutchinson told CNN, “This is not 2016. Donald Trump is a celebrity. He’s making his vengeance message clear.”
“(Hogan) did say he wanted to avoid a multi-car pile-up — I got a kick out of that reference,” Hutchinson continued. “And I actually think that more votes right now in the opposition or offering an alternative to Donald Trump is best and is the right direction.”
The former Arkansas governor said the GOP needs “a different type of leadership in the future.”
“It shouldn’t be someone who is going to appeal to our country’s worst instincts,” he added, clearly referring to Trump.
Hutchinson indicated he could announce next month whether he will make a bid for the presidency, but said March should be spent improving Republican Party coverage.
“March is a messaging month,” he said. “I want to keep talking about having a consistent conservative message.”
“We must have all alternatives, again, to Donald Trump. We don’t have to be guided by arrogance and revenge in the future. We must be led by those who are problem solvers, who want to stick to our party’s principles and unite us. And that is the message in March.’
April is a decision time. So we’re sticking to that plan.’
Hogan decided not to bid for the White House in 2024.
The former Maryland governor gave a realistic perspective on why he’s not running — saying he knew he wouldn’t be a frontrunner and wouldn’t be able to make the difference he wants to make as a presidential candidate.
Former Maryland governor Larry Hogan said in an interview that aired Sunday that he will not be seeking the GOP presidential nomination in 2024.
Hogan said former President Donald Trump’s candidacy was not the biggest consideration in his decision not to bid for the White House, but rather the expanding field and competition.
“Right now you have — you know, Trump and DeSantis at the top of the field, sucking up all the oxygen and getting all the attention. And then a lot of the rest of us in single digits and the more you have, the less chance you have of someone rioting,” Hogan explained, though Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (pictured) has yet to announce a bid .
So far, former President Donald Trump and his former ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley have announced that they will be running in 2024. They are the most recognizable candidates announced to date.
A few other Republicans have also joined in, including biotech multimillionaire Vivek Ramaswamy.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has not yet joined the race, but will make his first visit to Iowa next week, the country’s first primary contest.
“I’ve been thinking about it seriously and I’ve talked to people everywhere and I’ve talked to my family. And it was a tough decision,” Hogan said. “But I’ve decided I won’t be running for the Republican nomination for president.”
An anti-Trumper since Day One, Hogan has been hailed as one of the most pragmatic and moderate Republican politicians, leaving his post as governor of the blue state of Maryland earlier this year following his two terms in office.
It was rumored that Hogan would enter the race for the 2024 presidency after leaving the State House in Maryland.
“It’s mostly about the country and the party,” Hogan told Costa. “It was a personal decision.”
“It was like, ‘I didn’t need that job. I didn’t have to run to another office,” he added. “I considered it because I thought it was a public service and maybe I can make a difference.”
“I didn’t want a bunch of people fighting,” Hogan said in an interview broadcast on CBS News’ Face the Nation Sunday morning.
In addition to Trump, former UN ambassador Nikki Haley (left) and biotech “anti-woke” millionaire Vivek Ramaswamy (right) have also announced their candidacy for president.
Despite not wanting to cloud the already growing field of Republicans, Hogan insisted that the Trump factor played no part in his decision whether or not to bid.
“This isn’t just a decision to run for president,” Costa said in the pre-recorded interview. It’s a decision to go up against former President Trump, who is as hard on his opponent as anyone I’ve ever beaten. Merciless.’
“Well, that didn’t really scare me,” Hogan said. ‘You’re right. It was going to be a tough race. And he’s very tough.’
“But you know, I beat life-threatening cancer,” he added. “So Trump calling me names on Twitter didn’t really put me off.”
