Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson said on Sunday he is weighing a presidential run in 2024 and his decision won't be affected by whether former President Donald Trump decides to join the race, The Associated Press reported.
Hutchinson, a two-term Republican governor who is restricted under Arkansas law from seeking a third term, said it was time for the national GOP to move on from Trump in regards to the candidates he's endorsing in the 2022 midterm elections as well as "the direction he wants to take our country."
Asked on CNN's "State of the Union" if he was mulling a presidential run, Hutchinson replied, "I am. But you have got to get through, of course, this year, but that’s an option that’s on the table."
He made clear he was "not aligned" with Trump and added, "I think he did a lot of good things for our country, but we need to go a different direction. And so that’s not a factor in my decision-making process."
While Trump has not publicly confirmed if he is planning to run again for president in the 2024 election, he has hinted at such a run several times.
In a radio interview this past September, Trump said that the only thing that could prevent him from running would be “a bad call from a doctor or something”.
Before that, in an interview with Fox News, Trump said that he has already made up his mind regarding a 2024 run, but couldn’t explicitly declare his intentions because of “campaign financing” issues.
Though Trump remains the most popular figure among Republican voters who dominate primary elections, several GOP figures are considering presidential runs, including Gov. Larry Hogan of Maryland and Reps. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois and Liz Cheney of Wyoming.
Other candidates eyeing possible runs are Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Former US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley has said she would stand down on a potential bid if Trump opts to run a second time.
Trump recently won the Conservative Political Action Conference's (CPAC) presidential straw poll.
The straw poll, which received responses from more than 2,500 conference attendees, found that 59 percent back Trump as the 2024 Republican Presidential nominee.
DeSantis finished in a distant second with 28 percent support, making him the only other prospective candidate to notch double-digit support. Pompeo finished in third place, with just 2 percent support.