Asa Hutchinson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Asa Hutchinson
Hutchinson in 2023
46th Governor of Arkansas
In office January 13, 2015 – January 10, 2023
Lieutenant	Tim Griffin
Preceded by	Mike Beebe
Succeeded by	Sarah Huckabee Sanders
Chair of the National Governors Association
In office July 8, 2021 – July 15, 2022
Vice Chair	Phil Murphy
Preceded by	Andrew Cuomo
Succeeded by	Phil Murphy
Vice Chair of the National Governors Association
In office August 5, 2020 – July 8, 2021
Chair	Andrew Cuomo
Preceded by	Andrew Cuomo
Succeeded by	Phil Murphy
Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Border and Transportation Security
In office January 23, 2003 – March 1, 2005
President	George W. Bush
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Randy Beardsworth (acting)
8th Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration
In office August 8, 2001 – January 23, 2003
President	George W. Bush
Deputy	John B. Brown III
Preceded by	Donnie R. Marshall
Succeeded by	Karen Tandy
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Arkansas's 3rd district
In office January 3, 1997 – August 6, 2001
Preceded by	Tim Hutchinson
Succeeded by	John Boozman
Chair of the Arkansas Republican Party
In office January 1, 1991 – December 31, 1995 Serving with Sheffield Nelson (1991–1992)
Preceded by	Ken Coon
Succeeded by	Lloyd Stone
United States Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas
In office September 1, 1982 – January 20, 1985
President	Ronald Reagan
Preceded by	Larry McCord
Succeeded by	Michael Fitzhugh
Personal details
Born	William Asa Hutchinson II (1950-12-03) December 3, 1950 (age 74) Bentonville, Arkansas, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Susan Burrell ​ (m. 1973)​
Children	4
Relatives	Tim Hutchinson (brother)
Education	Bob Jones University (BA) University of Arkansas (JD)
Signature

William Asa Hutchinson II (born December 3, 1950) is an American lawyer, businessman, and politician. He served as the 46th governor of Arkansas from 2015 to 2023. He is a member of the Republican Party. Before becoming governor, he worked as a U.S. attorney, a U.S. representative, and held two important roles in the George W. Bush administration. He also ran for president in the 2024 Republican Party presidential primaries.

In 1982, President Ronald Reagan chose Hutchinson to be the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas. This job covers a large area around Fort Smith. In 1986, Hutchinson ran for U.S. Senator but did not win. Four years later, he lost a race for Attorney General of Arkansas.

He later won a seat in the House of Representatives in 1996. He represented Arkansas's 3rd congressional district until 2001. Then, President George W. Bush appointed him as the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration. In 2003, Bush gave Hutchinson another role. He became the Under Secretary for border and transportation security at the new Department of Homeland Security. Hutchinson left the Bush administration in 2005.

In 2006, Hutchinson ran for governor of Arkansas but lost. In 2014, he ran again and won. He was reelected in 2018 with a large number of votes. Because of term limits, he could not run for reelection in 2022. Sarah Huckabee Sanders became the next governor.

From 2020 to 2021, Hutchinson was the vice chair of the National Governors Association. He then became the chair of this group for 2021–2022. In 2023, he announced he would run for president. He stopped his campaign on January 16, 2024, after not getting many votes in the Iowa caucuses. In April 2024, he started working as a political expert for Scripps News.

Early Life and Legal Career

Hutchinson was born in Bentonville, Arkansas. His parents were Coral Virginia (Mount) Hutchinson and John Malcolm Hutchinson Sr. He earned his bachelor's degree in accounting from Bob Jones University in South Carolina in 1972. He then got his law degree from the University of Arkansas School of Law in 1975. He worked as a lawyer in Fort Smith for 21 years. During that time, he handled over 100 jury trials.

In 1982, President Ronald Reagan appointed Hutchinson as the U.S. attorney for the Western District of Arkansas. At 31 years old, Hutchinson was the youngest U.S. attorney in the country. He gained national attention for successfully prosecuting a group that had an armed standoff with law enforcement. As U.S. attorney, Hutchinson personally helped end the standoff peacefully.

Early Political Steps

Before Congress

In 1986, Hutchinson ran against the current Democratic U.S. senator, Dale Bumpers. He did not win this election. In 1990, Hutchinson ran for Attorney General of Arkansas but lost to Winston Bryant. After that, he became a co-chair of the Arkansas Republican Party. He held this position from 1991 to 1995, serving as full chair for the last four years.

Serving in the U.S. House of Representatives

Asa Hutchinson's 1997 Congress portrait

Hutchinson at a press conference about campaign finance reform in 1998

In 1992, Hutchinson's brother, Tim, was elected to Congress. He represented Arkansas's third congressional district. In 1996, Tim decided not to run for a third term. He wanted to run for an open Senate seat instead. Asa Hutchinson then ran for his brother's House seat and won.

Hutchinson won against Ann Henry in November 1996. Even though Henry spent more money on her campaign, the district usually voted Republican. Also, his brother Tim was also on the ballot, which helped Asa win with 52% of the votes. Tim Hutchinson also won his Senate campaign.

In 1998, Hutchinson was reelected to the House easily. He received 81% of the votes. He was reelected again without opposition in 2000. Hutchinson also served as a prosecutor in the impeachment trial of President Bill Clinton in 1998. He worked on efforts to change campaign finance laws. He also tried to change a law about police seizing private property.

Leading the Drug Enforcement Administration

Hutchinson as Undersecretary for Border and Transportation Security

Hutchinson and U.S. Representative Frank Wolf tour a DEA drug testing facility in Northern Virginia in 2001

In 2001, at the start of the George W. Bush administration, Hutchinson was chosen to lead the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). The Senate approved his appointment with a vote of 98 to 1.

Working for Homeland Security

After the September 11 attacks, Congress created the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). President Bush asked Hutchinson to lead the Border and Transportation Security division of the DHS. The Senate approved Hutchinson on January 23, 2003. Hutchinson left this role on March 1, 2005.

After the Bush Administration

Business Ventures

In early 2005, Hutchinson started a consulting firm called Hutchinson Group, LLC. He also took a one-year job with Venable LLP in Washington, D.C. There, he led their Homeland Security practice. Hutchinson left Venable LLP in March 2006 to focus on his campaign for governor and his consulting firm. In January 2007, Hutchinson rejoined Venable.

In June 2006, a newspaper reported that Hutchinson's investment in a company he advised, Fortress America Acquisition Corporation, grew significantly. He had invested $2,800, and it became worth over $1 million after the company's stock became public. Hutchinson said he had forgotten to list this investment on a financial form he submitted as a candidate. He corrected the mistake the next day.

Community and Safety Work

In December 2010, Hutchinson joined The Constitution Project's Guantanamo Task Force. He said he joined because he believed it was important for national security.

After a school shooting, the National Rifle Association of America (NRA) formed a group. This group included experts in homeland security and school safety. Hutchinson led this group. Their goal was to create a plan to make schools safer and prevent future shootings. On April 2, 2013, he presented the National School Shield plan.

Governor of Arkansas

2006 Election Campaign

Hutchinson campaigning for governor in 2006

Soon after returning to Arkansas, Hutchinson announced he would run for governor in 2006. He was going to run against Lieutenant Governor Winthrop Paul Rockefeller in the Republican primary. However, Rockefeller withdrew and passed away. This led to Hutchinson winning the primary. In the main election, he lost to the Democratic candidate, Mike Beebe.

2014 Election Campaign

Hutchinson was the Republican candidate for governor of Arkansas in 2014. He had support from House Speaker Davy Carter. On November 4, 2014, he won the election. He defeated the Democratic candidate, Mike Ross, with 55% of the votes. This was a strong win for a Republican in an open governor's race. His victory also meant the Republican Party controlled the state government for the first time in a long time.

2018 Election Campaign

Hutchinson was reelected on November 6, 2018. He won by a large margin, getting over 65% of the votes. He won in almost all counties. This was the biggest win for a Republican candidate for governor in Arkansas history.

Time as Governor

Hutchinson greeting Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue in 2017

Hutchinson became governor on January 13, 2015.

Hutchinson meeting with President Donald Trump and Laura Kelly in 2020

Hutchinson meeting with President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and a bipartisan group of governors and mayors in 2021

On November 16, 2015, Hutchinson said he would not allow Syrian refugees into Arkansas. This was in response to attacks in Paris.

Under Hutchinson, Arkansas restarted executions in 2017. The state had not carried out any executions since 2005.

In March 2017, Hutchinson signed a law called Act 710. This law prevents Arkansas agencies from working with companies unless they promise not to boycott Israel.

As governor, Hutchinson put in place work requirements for people receiving Medicaid. By December 2018, nearly 17,000 Arkansans had lost their Medicaid health insurance. They could reapply in the new year.

In August 2021, Hutchinson signed laws that stopped businesses and government places from requiring proof of vaccination for staff and customers. He also signed a law that prevented state and local officials from making mask mandates. He later said he regretted signing the mask mandate bill. In December 2021, Hutchinson praised President Joe Biden's policies on COVID. He thanked Biden for helping with vaccinations. In January 2022, Hutchinson told large businesses not to follow the Biden administration's vaccine rules.

Hutchinson said that Republicans who tried to change the 2020 presidential election results should not be in leadership roles. He also said that Donald Trump was dividing the party. On February 5, 2022, Hutchinson and U.S. senator Lisa Murkowski spoke out against the Republican National Committee. The committee had criticized representatives Adam Kinzinger and Liz Cheney. This was because they supported an investigation into the January 6 United States Capitol attack.

After Being Governor

2024 Presidential Campaign

In May 2022, Hutchinson said he would think about running for president in 2024. He said that whether former President Donald Trump ran again would not affect his decision. He added that Trump "did a lot of good things for our country, but we need to go a different direction." On April 2, 2023, Hutchinson announced he was running for president.

Early in his campaign, Hutchinson spoke out against Trump. He called for Trump to leave the race after facing legal challenges. After Trump was charged in a federal case, Hutchinson criticized other Republican candidates. They had said they would pardon Trump if elected. Hutchinson also disagreed with claims that the Department of Justice was unfairly targeting Trump.

Hutchinson did not make it into most of the presidential debates. His poll numbers stayed around one percent nationally. He stopped his campaign on January 16, 2024. This was the day after he received very few votes in the Iowa caucuses. Days before the New Hampshire primary, Hutchinson supported Nikki Haley. After Trump won the primaries, Hutchinson said he planned to write-in a name for president in the general election. He said he would not vote for Trump or Democratic candidate Kamala Harris.

Personal Life

Hutchinson has four children with his wife, Susan Burrell. Hutchinson's older brother, Tim, was also a U.S. representative for Arkansas' 3rd congressional district. He also served as a U.S. senator from 1997 to 2003. Asa and Tim Hutchinson both went to Bob Jones University. Tim Hutchinson's twin sons, Jeremy and Timothy Chad Hutchinson, were the first twins to serve together in the Arkansas General Assembly. They were both members of the House of Representatives. Asa Hutchinson is also related to former Arkansas state senator Kim Hendren. His nephew is Arkansas district 2 state senator Jim Hendren.

Electoral History

Images for kids

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  Asa Hutchinson's signature

See also

In Spanish: Asa Hutchinson para niños