(CNSNews.com) - Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson said Sunday that the GOP needs “alternatives” to former President Donald Trump and the more voices “in opposition or providing an alternative” to Trump “is the best thing.”
Hutchinson was reacting to news that former Md. Gov. Larry Hogan has decided not to run against Trump for president, because he wants to avoid a “pileup” in the GOP race.
“Well, Larry Hogan is a star. He's governed well in Maryland, elected in a blue state. I think the fact that he indicates he's going to continue to fight in the Republican Party for alternatives to Donald Trump and a new direction is a good sign. He did say he wanted to avoid a multi-car pileup,” Hutchinson told CNN’s “State of the Union.”
“I got a kick out of that reference, and I actually think that more voices right now in opposition or providing an alternative to Donald Trump is the best thing and the right direction. So, hats off to Larry for what he's done, what he's contributed, and I'm glad that he will continue to do so,” he said.
When asked whether he’s going to run, the governor said, “March is a message month. I want to continue to talk about having a consistent conservative message out there. We need to have all alternatives, again, to Donald Trump. We don't need to be led by arrogance and revenge in the future.
“We need to be led by those that are problem-solving, that want to stick with the principles of our party and unite us together, and so that's the message in March. April is a decision time. So, we will stick with that plan,” he said.
When asked why Hogan is wrong about too many people being out there helping Trump given that in 2016 that split the vote and Trump ran away with it, Hutchinson said, “That's right, and we get this question a lot from donors and others, you know, how can we avoid that? Well, this is not 2016. Donald Trump is a known quantity. He makes his message of revenge clear, and it's different.
“For example, the evangelical community. The evangelical community is going to be a key part of the race in 2024, both primary and general election. They were key in '16, but they are convinced that we need to have a different type of leadership in the future,” the governor said.
“It should not be someone that's going to appeal to the worst instincts of our country, and so, in the early stages, multiple candidates that have an alternative vision to what the former president has is good for our party, good for the debate, good for the upcoming debate that will be in August, and so, sure, that will narrow, and it will probably narrow fairly quickly,” he said.
“We need to have a lot of self-evaluation as you go along, but I think more voices now that provide alternative messages and problem- solving and ideas is good for our party,” Hutchinson said.
The governor said that Trump’s message at CPAC this year that he wouldn’t even think about dropping out of the race if he was indicted on criminal charges and also that he is the “retribution” of people who were “wronged and betrayed” is “troubling.”
“First of all, if you want to heal our land and unite our country together, you don't do it by appealing to the angry mob, and that's true whether you're talking about an angry mob from the left or the right, and so that's problematic, and that's where, again, you come back to the community of faith and what kind of leadership do we want,” Hutchinson said.
“Whenever you're looking at toughness, you want that in reference to foreign policy and protecting the interests of the United States, but wherever you're looking at the leader of our country, you don't want him to be engaged in a personal vendetta, and when he talks about vengeance, he's talking about his personal vendettas, and that's not healthy for America. It's certainly not healthy for our party,” he said.
When asked whether he will sign a pledge as required by RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel to support the GOP presidential nominee if Hutchinson runs for president, the governor said, “Well, first of all, I think the goal of what the RNC is trying to do is to avoid a third-party candidate out there, and, again, that would be the threat from Donald Trump.
“So, the motivation is to keep Donald Trump, if he doesn't win the primary, from running as a third-party candidate, and I applaud that, and so, if you're going to have a pledge, have it say that, you know, that the candidates who participate in the debate are not going to run as a third-party candidate, and that would solve that issue, but, beyond that, we have never had party loyalty oaths,” he said.
“We have never had those oaths. We did in 2016. They weren't effective. They weren't enforceable. You had candidates that participated in the debate and later didn't support the nominee of the party, and so I think we need to be real, and that's not helpful, but I do anticipate, if I'm a candidate, to participate in the debate,” Hutchinson said.
“And I think that's very, very important that we talk about problem- solving ideas through that debate, and that's a good opportunity for America to meet and introduce themselves to the candidates on the GOP side,” the governor said.