Former Arkansas governor announces presidential bid

Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson has announced that he will run for president.

Hutchinson, who served as governor for an eight-year period spanning from early 2015 until early 2023, told ABC News' Jonathan Karl that he plans to run and will make an official announcement later in April.

Hutchinson joins a Republican field that also includes former President Donald Trump, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, and author and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy — Trump is the front-runner in polls.

During the interview with Karl, Hutchinson said that he thinks he is the "right candidate" for America and that he does not think Trump should be the nation's next leader.

While Hutchinson said that he thinks Trump should drop out of the race due to the indictment against him, the former governor acknowledged that Trump will not do so.

‘I’m going to run for President of the United States’: Asa Hutchinson l This Weekwww.youtube.com

While serving as governor in 2021, Hutchinson vetoed a measure that prohibited providing gender transition measures to people younger than 18, but the state legislature ultimately overrode the veto.

Hutchinson defended his decision, describing the bill as "overbroad and extreme" and noting that it did "not grandfather in those young people who are currently under hormone treatment. The young people who are currently under a doctor's care will be left without treatment when this law goes into effect." He noted, "They may look to the black market for their medications or travel out of state for care if they can afford to do so. This is not the right path to put them and their families on."

Hutchinson previously served as member of the U.S. House of Representatives from the state of Arkansas. During portions of President George W. Bush's White House tenure, Hutchinson served as administrator of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and as under secretary for border and transportation security for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

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