Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who is considering a run for the Republican presidential nomination, believes the more voices on the GOP debate stage, the better.
Speaking on CNN's "State of the Union," Hutchinson said Larry Hogan, a former GOP governor who recently announced that he would not run for president, is a "star."
"Larry Hogan is a star. He's governed well in Maryland, elected in a blue state. I think the fact that he indicates that he's going to continue to fight in the Republican Party for alternatives to Donald Trump and a new direction is a good sign," Hutchinson said.
"I actually think more voices right now in opposition or providing an alternative to Donald Trump is the best thing in the right direction. So hats off to Larry for what he's done, what he's contributed. And I'm glad that he will continue to do so."
Hogan on Sunday said he would not run for president because he did not want his candidacy to help Trump win the GOP nomination. He said that a "pileup" of candidates in the GOP primary could result in Trump securing the nomination.
Hutchinson disagreed, saying the situation in 2024 will be different from 2016 because Trump is a "known quantity" and that evangelical Christian voters are convinced that the party needs a different type of leadership in the future.
"In the early stages," Hutchinson said, "multiple candidates that have an alternative vision to what the president has is good for our party, good for the debate, good for the upcoming debate that will be in August.
"So, sure, that will narrow; and it will probably narrow fairly quickly. We need to have a lot of self-evaluation as you go along, but I think more voices now that provide alternative messages and problem-solving and ideas is good for our party."
On the issue of the Republican National Committee's proposal for 2024 contenders to sign a pledge to back the party's ultimate nominee in order to participate in primary debates, Hutchinson suggested the pledge should be a promise not to run as a third-party candidate if the candidate does not win the nomination.
Hutchinson is considering a presidential run and plans to decide in April. He already has traveled to the early-voting states of Iowa and South Carolina, and he anticipates participating in the RNC debates if he decides to run.
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