Asa Hutchinson | |
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![]() Hutchinson in 2023 | |
46th Governor of Arkansas | |
In office January 13, 2015 – January 10, 2023 | |
Lieutenant | Tim Griffin |
Preceded by | Mike Beebe |
Succeeded by | Sarah Huckabee Sanders |
Chair of the National Governors Association | |
In office July 8, 2021 – July 15, 2022 | |
Vice Chair | Phil Murphy |
Preceded by | Andrew Cuomo |
Succeeded by | Phil Murphy |
Vice Chair of the National Governors Association | |
In office August 5, 2020 – July 8, 2021 | |
Chair | Andrew Cuomo |
Preceded by | Andrew Cuomo |
Succeeded by | Phil Murphy |
Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Border and Transportation Security | |
In office January 23, 2003 – March 1, 2005 | |
President | George W. Bush |
Preceded by | Position established |
Succeeded by | Randy Beardsworth (acting) |
8th Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration | |
In office August 8, 2001 – January 23, 2003 | |
President | George W. Bush |
Deputy | John B. Brown III |
Preceded by | Donnie R. Marshall |
Succeeded by | Karen Tandy |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Arkansas's 3rd district | |
In office January 3, 1997 – August 6, 2001 | |
Preceded by | Tim Hutchinson |
Succeeded by | John Boozman |
Chair of the Arkansas Republican Party | |
In office January 1, 1991 – December 31, 1995 Serving with Sheffield Nelson (1991–1992) | |
Preceded by | Ken Coon |
Succeeded by | Lloyd Stone |
United States Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas | |
In office September 1, 1982 – January 20, 1985 | |
President | Ronald Reagan |
Preceded by | Larry McCord |
Succeeded by | Michael Fitzhugh |
Personal details | |
Born | William Asa Hutchinson II December 3, 1950 Bentonville, Arkansas, U.S. |
Political party | Republican |
Spouse |
Susan Burrell (m. 1973) |
Children | 4 |
Relatives | Tim Hutchinson (brother) |
Education | Bob Jones University (BA) University of Arkansas (JD) |
Signature | ![]() |
Website | Campaign website |
William Asa Hutchinson II (/ˈeɪsə/, AY-sə; born December 3, 1950) is an American attorney, businessman, and politician who served as the 46th governor of Arkansas from 2015 to 2023. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a U.S. attorney, U.S. representative, and in two roles in the George W. Bush administration. He was a candidate for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.
In 1982, President Ronald Reagan appointed Hutchinson to serve as the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas, which covers most of Fort Smith. In 1986, Hutchinson unsuccessfully challenged Democratic U.S. Senator Dale Bumpers, before losing a race for Attorney General of Arkansas to Winston Bryant four years later. He later successfully ran for the House of Representatives in 1996, representing Arkansas's 3rd congressional district until 2001, when president George W. Bush successfully nominated him as Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration. In 2003, Bush appointed Hutchinson as the Under Secretary for border and transportation security at the newly established Department of Homeland Security; Hutchinson retired from the Bush administration in 2005.
In 2006, Hutchinson was the Republican nominee for governor of Arkansas, but lost to Democratic nominee Mike Beebe, the state attorney general. In 2014, Hutchinson was again the Republican nominee for governor, this time defeating the Democratic nominee, U.S. Representative Mike Ross. He was reelected in 2018 with nearly two-thirds of the vote. Due to term limits, he was barred from seeking reelection in 2022, and was succeeded by Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
From 2020 to 2021, Hutchinson served as vice chair of the National Governors Association. He succeeded Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York as chair of the organization for 2021–2022. In 2023 he announced his candidacy in the 2024 Republican Party presidential primaries. He suspended his campaign on January 16, 2024, after a poor performance in the Iowa caucuses. In April 2024, he joined Scripps News as a political contributor.[1]