Ex-Arkansas Governor announces 2024 presidential bid

WASHINGTON: Asa Hutchinson, former Governor of the US state of Arkansas, announced that that he is running for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.

Hutchinson, who served as governor from January 2015 to January 2023, made the announcement during an interview with ABC News on Sunday.

"I have made a decision, and my decision is I'm going to run for president of the US," said Hutchinson, the 72-year-old Republican.

He will make a formal announcement on April 26 in his hometown of Bentonville, Arkansas, according to a statement.

The Republican primary field is still in its early stages.

Former President Donald Trump announced a third presidential campaign last year, while Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor and US ambassador to the UN, became the first major rival to challenge him when she announced her bid in February.

A number of other Republicans, including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence and Indian-American tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, have been making moves suggesting they are considering presidential bids.

In his announcement, Hutchinson also doubled down on his call for Trump to drop out of the race as the latter is facing criminal charges.

"The office is more important than any individual person. So for the sake of the office of the presidency, I do think that's too much of a sideshow and distraction... He needs to be able to concentrate on his due process," CNN quoted the former Governor as saying.

"This is one of the most unpredictable political environment that I've seen in my lifetime... So my message of experience, of consistent conservatism, of hope for our future and solving problems that face Americans, I think that resonates."