Two-term former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson is withdrawing from the White House race after finishing sixth in the Iowa caucuses.
Hutchinson on Tuesday called off his ambitious campaign to win the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.
Hutchinson said in a statement: “I am ceasing my presidential campaign and driving back to Arkansas. My message is that I am an experienced, principled Republican and will tell the truth about the current front-runner. “It didn't sell well in Iowa.”
“I stand behind the campaign I ran. I answered every question, warned Republicans about the risks of 2024, and expressed hope for our country's future,” he said.
Republican presidential nomination primaries head to New Hampshire after Trump riot in Iowa
Former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson speaks at the Iowa Republican Party's annual Lincoln Dinner on Friday, July 28, 2023 in Des Moines, Iowa. (Rachel Mamie/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Mr. Hutchinson received fewer than 200 votes out of more than 110,000 votes cast in Iowa's Republican presidential caucus, according to unofficial counts.
Former President Donald Trump won a landslide victory in the Iowa Republican caucuses on Monday night with more than 50% of the vote, breaking his previous margin of victory and marking his first significant victory in his quest to reclaim the white party. moved forward towards. House of Representatives elections in November.
Trump leads the pack with a landslide victory in the Iowa caucuses
Mr. Hutchinson has made his criticism of Mr. Trump front and center in his 2024 election campaign.
At a major Republican presidential nominating rally in Florida in early November, Hutchinson reiterated that it is “very likely that Donald Trump will be convicted by a jury of a felony next year.” Afterwards, he was jeered by the audience for over a minute. ”
“That may or may not happen. Before you vote in March, it may not make any difference to you, but it makes a difference to your chances of attracting independent voters in November.” That will have an impact on the 2020 ballot race. “The same goes for Congress and the Senate, weakening the Republican Party for decades to come. As a party, we stand for the rule of law. “We have to do it,” he emphasized.
Mr. Hutchinson, a former federal prosecutor, two-term congressman, and former head of the Drug Enforcement Administration and deputy secretary of the Department of Homeland Security in the administration of then-President George W. Started an election campaign.
Click here for the latest voting numbers from the Iowa caucuses
Hutchinson touted his credentials as a “tested” conservative over his decades in politics, but he struggled to raise money and his poll numbers never rose above the low single digits. .
Hutchinson reached the last-minute vote and donation thresholds to qualify for the first Republican presidential debate in August, but was unable to take the stage in the subsequent showdown.
And he struggled to maintain a presence in the Republican presidential primary, dominated by Mr. Trump and other rivals with high profile and deep military pockets.
Former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, 2024 Republican presidential candidate, is interviewed by FOX News Digital in Newton, Iowa, September 16, 2023. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)
In late October, his campaign manager parted ways with Hutchinson over disagreements over the feasibility of a path to the nomination. However, Hutchinson marched only with the help of one or two of his staff.
Hutchinson is the latest Republican presidential candidate to withdraw from a race that has left only three major candidates: Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, and former United Nations ambassador and former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley. It is.
Former Vice President Mike Pence, who similarly struggled to raise funds, suspended his presidential campaign on October 28 during a speech at the Republican Jewish Federation's annual leadership summit in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott ended his candidacy in November, and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum suspended his campaign in early December.
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie resigned last week, and billionaire biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy announced his resignation Monday night after finishing fourth in the Iowa caucuses.
Four lesser-known candidates who failed to qualify for the debate had already suspended their campaigns.
Former CIA agent and former Texas congressman Will Hurd; Miami, Florida Mayor Francis Suarez; business leader and quality control expert Perry Johnson; 2021 California gubernatorial recall candidate and former conservative talk radio host Larry Elder.
Get the latest on the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more with Fox News Digital's Election Hub..
