(NewsNation) — Earlier this week, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, a Republican, said the next president should be a governor.
Governors have “tested executive leadership” skills, he told NewsNation’s Adrienne Bankert Friday.
With that in mind, Hutchinson said, he’ll be making his own decision in April on whether to run in the 2024 presidential election.
Three candidates have already put their hats in the ring: former President Donald Trump, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and former ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, who also served as South Carolina governor from 2011 to 2017.
Praising Republican governors’ leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic, Hutchinson said on “Morning in America” that they know “how to balance a budget and create surpluses and create jobs.”
“We want to move our country forward in terms of solutions, and our senators serve us well,” he said. “But whenever you look at the next president, I think governors offer something that is unique, which is executive experience that has been tested.”
When asked if he would serve as Trump’s vice president if tapped to do so, Hutchinson said he doesn’t expect that to happen based off past comments he’s made.
In an interview last year with The Associated Press, Hutchinson, 72, called a third Trump White House bid the “worst scenario” for the GOP.
“I’ve been critical of Mr. Trump in terms of how he’s handled himself subsequent to the last election,” Hutchinson said, noting his own potential bid would mean running against the previous commander-in-chief. “We look for alternatives of his leadership for the future of our party and our country, and I think that’s what’s important for us to evaluate in 2024.”