Former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson dropped out of the GOP presidential race today after receiving only 191 votes — 0.2 percent of the Iowa caucus vote. In his statement, he congratulated former President Donald Trump, saying, “I congratulate Donald J. Trump for his win last night in Iowa and to the other candidates who competed and garnered delegate support.”
Hutchinson also stated that he stood by his campaign critical of Trump, saying, “My message of being a principled Republican with experience and telling the truth about the current front runner did not sell in Iowa.” Hutchinson made statements that, if elected, he would not promise to pardon Trump if the former president is convicted on federal charges, saying on X, “Despite the pledge of Haley and DeSantis to pardon Donald Trump, I will not make that commitment. It is wrong to promise pardons to score political points and it undermines the principle of equal justice.”
The DNC released a statement after Hutchinson suspended his campaign, saying, “This news comes as a shock to those of us who could’ve sworn he had already dropped out.”
GOP voters overwhelmingly rejected the “never Trump” movement, and are putting pressure on the GOP leadership. Trump political opponents Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley losing by over 30 percentage points, along with Hutchinson’s campaign only gathering 191 votes, highlights the momentum of what the DNC fears and has labeled “Ultra MAGA”.
