LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — One week after officially announcing his campaign for president, former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson has again rebuked former President Donald Trump in an opinion piece for CNN.
The 72-year-old, who served for eight years as Arkansas's governor, has increased his criticism of the former president in the last year, saying Trump's actions show that he chose "not to govern by honor our shared conservative values."
Hutchinson went further noting that Trump's "violent rhetoric" surrounding the January 6 attack and constant questioning of the 2020 election has "undermined the fabric of our democracy."
The former governor said that the Republican Party and the country in the last eight years "have forgotten the type of individual our forefathers intended the president of the United States of America to be."
"We have forgotten what it’s like to live under the leadership of a president who looks forward, leads by example, instinctively puts the country before the party and has no issue setting ego aside to get things done," Hutchinson said.
Hutchinson said that Republicans "quickly lowered our standards" by accepting Trump.
"We must no longer accept blatant bias and partisan bickering as the norm from politicians or media personalities," he said.
He suggests moving past a "misguided notion" to treat the media and journalists as enemies, which Trump has leaned on since he emerged as a leader among Republicans.
Hutchinson, who has positioned himself opposite Trump, wants to move away from leaders who are "focused only on themselves or settling scores," pleading his case that he will be a return to limited government and a "problem-solving conservative."
Trump was defeated by President Joe Biden in the 2020 election, but he won Arkansas with 62.4% of the vote. It was one of seven states where the former president had a better performance than his 2016 election win.
Arkansas has remained a strong state for conservatives, with the majority of voters in the state choosing a Republican candidate for six elections in a row.
Hutchinson's political career, which started in the early 1980s, has ranged from working for the federal government to serving the people of Arkansas as a congressman and later as governor.