As he launches his presidential campaign, Asa Hutchinson leaves a mixed legacy in Arkansas

Little Rock, Arkansas – Asa Hutchinson, a former governor of Arkansas, officially began running for president in April and has since garnered attention for his outspoken criticisms of former President Donald Trump.

Some Republican committees in Arkansas have taken exception to Hutchinson’s vocal criticism of Trump.

The former governor of Arkansas, who some conservatives refer to as a “RINO” or “Republican-in-name-only,” has left a mixed legacy for many in his crimson-red home state as he launches his presidential campaign.

“There are a lot of things that we would have liked to have seen Governor Hutchinson do differently when he was in office, but he did a lot of things right too, so we recognize all of it,” said Alford Drinkwater, Chairman of the Perry County Republican Committee.

Other Republican committees in the state, such as those in Saline County and Greene County, have criticized Hutchinson more harshly and said that they do not support him as the party’s nominee for president.

Hutchinson was deemed by the Pulaski County Republican Committee to be a disgrace to the party.

Others criticize him for his position on social problems.

“The whole process of being a Republican means that you need to stay with the principles of the Republican party and if you don’t do that, then people call you Republican-in-name-only,” Drinkwater said.

“Through his entire governorship, I feel like, even though some of the decisions he made were more of a ‘this is what my GOP base wants’ instead of what’s good for Arkansas, I do feel like on a lot of them, he tried to stay somewhere towards the middle,” said Angel McPeak, former Chairman of the Conway County Democratic Party.

The former governor’s centrist outlook sets him apart from well-liked Republican candidates for presidents like Trump or DeSantis. Will it function is the key question.

“As long as Trump isn’t running, he may have a shot, because that’s what our country does need–it needs a president that is going to reach out to both sides of the aisle and to heal this country from the division that it’s had since Trump,” said McPeak.

“He doesn’t have a snowball’s chance,” Drinkwater said.