Asa Hutchinson
Running for: US President
Former Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson, a vocal critic of Donald Trump from a deep-red state, announced his presidential campaign in early April. In an interview with CBS, he said he believes voters are “looking for someone that is not going to be creating chaos, but also has got the record of being a governor, of lowering taxes.”
Position on Issues
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Candidate's Website, 2023
"Restore discipline by reducing federal government size, cutting spending, balancing the budget, and lowering the deficit to tame inflation."For| Read My Position
Candidate's Website, 2023
"Embrace an 'all-of-the-above' policy by reversing restrictions on pipeline construction and drilling, removing barriers to nuclear power, and ending the war on fossil fuels."Against| Read My Position
Candidate's Website, 2023
"Cut taxes and reduce regulations to boost the private sector and enhance wages for American workers."For| Read My Position
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"I believe the United States' leadership is important in supporting Ukraine and bringing the European allies together to help us to oppose Russia and their aggression. Sure, we need to have accountable funds, we need to have audits, we need to have controls over it, but it is really important that we support them. And both Governor DeSantis and former president Trump have diminished that support."
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"The President, in his announced policy on marijuana, has waived the flag of surrender in the fight to save lives from drug abuse and has adopted all the talking points of the drug legalizers. The Department of Justice should not issue blanket pardons but each case should be looked at individually. As Governor I have issued hundreds of pardons to those who have been convicted of drug offenses. But in this time of rising crime, there should be a clear record of law-abiding conduct before pardons are issued.
"In terms of rescheduling marijuana, the president is ignoring the science that is behind the different categories of drugs. While his proposal sounds good, this is a step that has not been taken by the Obama Administration or the Trump Administration. Biden is simply playing election-year politics and sacrificing our national interest to win votes."
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Hutchinson said he is open to a "conversation" about raising the minimum age to purchase "AR-15-style weapons."
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Candidate's Twitter Feed, 2021
"The Biden Administration's plan to tax unrealized capital gains would mean the government can levy a tax on you before you even make a profit on a sale. It's a bad idea even if it's limited to the very wealthy because it take money away from job creation. This idea won't end with the wealthy."
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Candidate's Twitter Feed, 2022
"Broad student loan 'forgiveness' is a misuse of executive authority. Shifting the burden from those who willingly took out a loan to all taxpayers is inconsistent with the American ideal of personal responsibility and will further discourage those who took a different path, including work or lower-cost schools. If President Biden wanted to provide relief to Americans with student loan debts, he could work to permanently lower interest rates instead of across-the-board forgiveness. 'Forgiving' student loan debts will reward high-cost schools and add to the inflated cost of higher education."
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It's unclear if Hutchinson would support a ban on "divisive concepts" in schools, but he has dealt with related legislation at the state level. In 2021 Hutchinson allowed an Arkansas bill that bans state agencies from teaching "divisive concepts" to become law without his signature. He said, "The bill does not address any problem that exists, and the paperwork and manpower requirements are unnecessary."
