Last week, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson dropped out of the presidential race, after the Iowa Caucus ended.
Despite finishing in sixth place in the Iowa Caucus, Hutchinson said in an interview with Arkansas Week that he believes his campaign was successful because he was able to warn voters about electing former President Donald Trump.
“It was a message I believe in and I think it was important for our party to hear that. Whenever you look at Iowa, toward the end, all the alternatives to Trump voters shifted toward Nikki Haley. She had a better night, that's where my votes went,” Hutchinson said.
According to the Associated Press, Haley finished in third place in the Iowa Caucus and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis finished in second place.
Hutchinson said his campaign influenced the campaigns of Haley and DeSantis.
“I was the only one early on that said we ought to go a different direction than Donald Trump,” he said. “Most recently, you see Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley getting very aggressive on that point. I laid the foundation there.”
Trump received 51% of the votes in the Iowa Caucus. According to CBS News, Trump’s margin of victory was the highest margin of victory ever by a Republican candidate in the Iowa Caucus. In 2016, Trump finished in second place in the Iowa Caucus, finishing behind U.S Senator Ted Cruz, R-Texas.
In an interview with Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Hutchinson said he did not plan to endorse Trump, like other Republicans who have dropped out of the race. Gov. Sarah Sanders and Arkansas U.S Senator Tom Cotton have endorsed Trump.
Hutchinson has said Trump has changed the Republicans and not in a good way. At the first Republican debate, Hutchinson was the only candidate who said he wouldn’t support Trump, if Trump were convicted. Hutchinson has said Trump is morally responsible for the January 6th insurrection.
