36 min listen
Why Asa Hutchinson isn’t scared of Trump, Biden, or impossible odds
Why Asa Hutchinson isn’t scared of Trump, Biden, or impossible odds
ratings:
Length:
45 minutes
Released:
May 5, 2023
Format:
Podcast episode
Description
If you talk to Democratic strategists about the 2024 presidential
election, there is a certain type of Republican nominee who they fear:
Someone who knows how to speak in the language of inclusion; who can
discuss abortion and guns without alienating suburban voters; who stands
up to the GOP on some of the most fraught issues of the culture wars;
who can argue that he or she has almost as much government experience as
Joe Biden himself, but is still younger; who handled the pandemic in
their state in a way that avoided some of the most unpopular decisions
of both Democrats and Republicans; and who spends a lot of their time
explaining to Republicans why they should leave Donald Trump in the
past.
Asa Hutchinson — who sounds an awful lot like that imaginary candidate
that Democrats fear — is here on Playbook Deep Dive this week to tell
us why you shouldn’t count him out.
Hutchinson got his start in politics as a U.S. attorney during the
Reagan Revolution, when his home state of Arkansas was still run by
Democrats. He served two terms as governor and shortly after stepping
down this year, he announced he’s running for president.
If there’s one thing that makes him stand out so far, it’s that he’s
willing to say things about Trump that other Republicans aren’t.
Hutchinson recently wrote that the former President “has led us astray,”
“undermined the fabric of our democracy,” and is emblematic of bad
leaders who are, “focused only on themselves or on settling scores with
political opponents.”
In this episode of Playbook Deep Dive, host Ryan Lizza speaks with the
former Arkansas governor after his first official trip to Iowa. He opens
up about why he’s running, how he thinks he can take down Trump, and why
his record – which is among the most conservative in America – is full
of surprises.
Ryan Lizza is a Playbook co-author for POLITICO.
Asa Hutchinson is the former governor of Arkansas and a GOP presidential
candidate.
Afra Abdullah is an associate producer for POLITICO audio.
Kara Tabor is a producer for POLITICO audio.
Alex Keeney is a senior producer for POLITICO audio.
Jenny Ament is the executive producer for POLITICO audio.
election, there is a certain type of Republican nominee who they fear:
Someone who knows how to speak in the language of inclusion; who can
discuss abortion and guns without alienating suburban voters; who stands
up to the GOP on some of the most fraught issues of the culture wars;
who can argue that he or she has almost as much government experience as
Joe Biden himself, but is still younger; who handled the pandemic in
their state in a way that avoided some of the most unpopular decisions
of both Democrats and Republicans; and who spends a lot of their time
explaining to Republicans why they should leave Donald Trump in the
past.
Asa Hutchinson — who sounds an awful lot like that imaginary candidate
that Democrats fear — is here on Playbook Deep Dive this week to tell
us why you shouldn’t count him out.
Hutchinson got his start in politics as a U.S. attorney during the
Reagan Revolution, when his home state of Arkansas was still run by
Democrats. He served two terms as governor and shortly after stepping
down this year, he announced he’s running for president.
If there’s one thing that makes him stand out so far, it’s that he’s
willing to say things about Trump that other Republicans aren’t.
Hutchinson recently wrote that the former President “has led us astray,”
“undermined the fabric of our democracy,” and is emblematic of bad
leaders who are, “focused only on themselves or on settling scores with
political opponents.”
In this episode of Playbook Deep Dive, host Ryan Lizza speaks with the
former Arkansas governor after his first official trip to Iowa. He opens
up about why he’s running, how he thinks he can take down Trump, and why
his record – which is among the most conservative in America – is full
of surprises.
Ryan Lizza is a Playbook co-author for POLITICO.
Asa Hutchinson is the former governor of Arkansas and a GOP presidential
candidate.
Afra Abdullah is an associate producer for POLITICO audio.
Kara Tabor is a producer for POLITICO audio.
Alex Keeney is a senior producer for POLITICO audio.
Jenny Ament is the executive producer for POLITICO audio.
Released:
May 5, 2023
Format:
Podcast episode
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