Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson suspended his 2024 presidential campaign Tuesday following a sixth place finish in Monday’s Iowa caucus, he announced in a press release.
Hutchinson has been in the race since April where he has largely focused his campaign on criticizing former President Donald Trump, who secured a massive win in Iowa with 51% support, alongside former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. After only garnering 0.2% of the share in the Hawkeye state with less than 200 votes, Hutchinson dropped out of the race, according to a campaign press release.
“I congratulate Donald J. Trump for his win last night in Iowa and to the other candidates who competed and garnered delegate support. Today, I am suspending my campaign for President and driving back to Arkansas,” Hutchinson said in a statement. “My message of being a principled Republican with experience and telling the truth about the current front runner did not sell in Iowa. 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.”
Hutchinson became the second presidential candidate to drop out of the race after the results for the Iowa caucus rolled in. Conservative businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, who placed in fourth with 7.7% support after insisting he would exceed expectations, suspended his campaign in a speech following the caucus, and threw his support behind Trump for president.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis came in second place at 21.2%, followed by former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley at 19.1%. Christie suspended his campaign before voting began last week, adding to the long list of Republican hopefuls who have since dropped out of the race dominated by the former president.
The former Arkansas governor did not endorse another candidate upon his withdrawal from the primary. Hutchinson participated in the first GOP presidential debate back in August, but failed to meet the Republican National Committee’s (RNC’s) qualifications for the subsequent three debates.
Hutchinson failed to register above the low single digits in national and key early primary state polls, according to the RealClearPolitics (RCP) averages. The former governor currently has 0.7% support for a national Republican primary based on polls conducted between Dec. 19 and Jan. 13.
“Susan and I are blessed beyond measure, and we are grateful for the opportunity to have fought in the political arena for America,” said Hutchinson.
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