Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson has revealed that he will not be endorsing former President Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign. Even as Trump has become the GOP’s presumptive nominee, Hutchinson, who dropped his own presidential bid in January, will not still support his bid.
On Monday, the former governor released an opinion piece with the title “I ran for president as a Republican in 2024. I won’t vote for Trump (or Biden).”
“With Donald Trump’s domination of the GOP primaries and the elimination of all primary opponents, including myself, the party leadership and Republican elected officials are clicking their heels in obedience to the victor and presumptive nominee. I have not endorsed Donald Trump for president, and I will not do so,” Hutchinson wrote.
“This is a costly and difficult position to take because I was instrumental in building the GOP in Arkansas, having served as state party chair during the Clinton years, and I have been elected to Congress and as governor on the Republican ticket,” he added.
Hutchinson went on to list issues such as Trump’s support for Russian President Vladimir Putin and his actions on Jan. 6, 2021 as reasons for his decision to not support the party’s presumptive nominee.
He, however, revealed that he will not be voting for President Joe Biden either.
“Another important point to make is that I also will not vote for President Joe Biden. Biden’s weak border policies, his poor economic record and his slow growth energy policy do not justify reelection,” he wrote.
Vice President Mike Pence also announced last week that he will not be endorsing Trump during an interview with Fox News’ Martha MacCallum.
“It should come as no surprise that I will not be endorsing Donald Trump this year,” he stated.
Like Hutchinson, he also revealed that he would not be voting for Biden either.