Former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson ended his struggling presidential campaign on Tuesday morning after failing to garner even 1 percent support at the Republican Iowa Caucuses. Hutchinson, one of the biggest critics of former President Donald Trump in the race, now departs the primary field after nearly five months of not qualifying for televised debates.
“I congratulate Donald J. Trump for his win last night in Iowa and to the other candidates who competed and garnered delegate support,” Hutchinson wrote in an X post announcing his withdrawal.
He went on to acknowledge that, despite his best efforts, his anti-Trump message did not resonate with Iowans, leaving him no choice but to make the drive back to Arkansas.
“My message of being a principled Republican with experience and telling the truth about the current front-runner did not sell in Iowa,” he continued. “I stand by the campaign I ran. I answered every question, sounded the warning to the GOP about the risks in 2024 and presented hope for our country’s future.”
Here is my statement on the Iowa caucus. pic.twitter.com/uRmlbQtolx
— Gov. Asa Hutchinson (@AsaHutchinson) January 16, 2024
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After launching his campaign in April, Hutchinson spent much of his time criticizing Donald Trump, even going so far as to suggest that the former president might be disqualified by the 14th Amendment’s insurrection clause.
“Whenever you’re looking at four indictments, and the fact that not everybody can recite what each of those indictments entail, they know this is not good for our country, and that no one under that kind of pressure can lead our country, particularly with a mindset that he wants to get revenge as the next president,” Hutchinson told NBC News last year. “And so if anyone should drop out, it should be Donald Trump.”
During the first Republican primary debate in August, Hutchinson was the only candidate who did not commit to backing Trump if he became the nominee. However, his lackluster performance during the rest of the debate did him few favors in the polls.
Hutchinson has struggled to pull more than 1 percent in most national polls, leading to his exclusion from all subsequent debates. However, he remained in the race for months, even after much higher-ranking candidates dropped out.
At the Iowa Caucuses on Monday night, Hutchinson registered only 0.2 percent support, putting him in a distant sixth place, behind even Texas Pastor Ryan Binkley, who never appeared at a debate and was not included on most national polls.
Related: Donald Trump Declared Winner of 2024 Iowa Caucus
Hutchinson now joins an extensive lineup of former candidates that also includes tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, former Vice President Mike Pence, radio host Larry Elder, businessman Perry Johnson, former Texas Congressman Will Hurd, and Miami Mayor Francis Suarez.
The Republican primary field now consists of just four candidates: former President Donald Trump, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina Nikki Haley, and Texas Pastor Ryan Binkley.
Connor Walcott is a staff writer covering politics, culture, and business for Valuetainment.com. Follow Connor on X (Twitter).
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