Asa Hutchinson drops out of 2024 race; says his message against Trump didn't sell in Iowa

WASHINGTON — Former Gov. Asa Hutchison, a vocal critic of Donald Trump, ended his 2024 presidential campaign Tuesday after scoring sixth in the Iowa Caucus and earning less than 1% of the vote.

The soft-spoken southerner who left office in January 2023 and entered the race in April was unable to break out of the crowded GOP primary field.

“My message of being a principled Republican with experience and telling the truth about the current front runner did not sell in Iowa,” Hutchinson said in a statement. “I stand by the campaign I ran. I answered every question, sounded the warning to the GOP about the risks in 2024 and presented hope for our country’s future. Susan and I are blessed beyond measure, and we are grateful for the opportunity to have fought in the political arena for America."

Hutchinson pledged in a USA TODAY town hall in October that he would crack down on illegal border crossings, promote education and treatment programs to fight opioid abuse, and go after drug cartels that traffic fentanyl. He also forcefully attacked the former president on the campaign trail, saying Trump's record made him unfit to serve.

However, Hutchinson lagged in national and state polls and failed to qualify for three Republican debates. He said last fall that if his polling did not improve significantly he would reassess. But as he filed to appear on the ballot in New Hampshire in mid-October, he told reporters that voters in the state were not likely to make a determination until after that point. He suggested he could remain a candidate beyond his self-determined deadline for improving his position.

"But I still need to see some progress. So I've set a very clear criteria: I want to see movement in the polls by Thanksgiving," Hutchinson added. "And that's the criteria I've set. I think it's reasonable. And let's see what happens between now and then."

His exit comes just a day after businessman Vivek Ramaswamy suspended his 2024 campaign and endorsed Trump. Hutchinson did not immediately endorse any of the remaining candidates.