Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, among the early challengers for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, told Newsmax on Monday night the GOP will regain the White House if it makes the focus of the race on President Joe Biden and his failed policies.
But Hutchinson told “Eric Bolling The Balance” if the focus of the race is squarely on former President Donald Trump, the favorite to win the nomination, the GOP will lose.
“Whenever you look at Joe Biden’s failed border policy, which we're experiencing today, his failed energy policy, the fact that we have crime and fentanyl in our streets, Biden's failed policy is what we're all challenging,” Hutchinson, 72, said. “What I worry about is that Trump will become the issue in 2024, and if Trump is the issue, we lose.
“We want to make sure that there's alternatives out there for Republicans in Iowa, New Hampshire and across the country to vote on, and we have to make our case. I want to talk about Biden’s failed policies but also my ideas to reform federal law enforcement, my ideas to put more people back to work and my ideas to take the penalty off of Social Security so people can work, even though they’ve reached retirement age. These are positive solutions for America's future.”
Trump appears to be widening his gap among potential Republican candidates, most notably Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. And polls show he also appears to be widening the gap in a potential rematch against Biden.
“It's very early, and obviously he's got a bump because of the fact that you've got a prosecution going on [by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg] that we don't approve of,” Hutchinson said. “I'm a former federal prosecutor; I would not have brought that case.
“I think, ultimately, this is going to come down to who can best win in a November election, who can best lead our country in the future. Sure, it’s going to go up and down but thank goodness we're going to have choices. Thank goodness we're going to have different ideas. Thank goodness we're going to have a debate where the voters can measure the candidates.”
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