Asa Hutchinson Is Running - Updated

Former Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson is running for president. From Politico: 

“I am going to be running. And the reason, as I’ve traveled the country for six months, I hear people talk about the leadership of our country, and I’m convinced that people want leaders that appeal to the best of America, and not simply appeal to our worst instincts,” Hutchinson said during an interview with Jonathan Karl on ABC’s “This Week.” “I believe I can be that kind of leader for the people of America.”

Hutchinson will make a formal announcement later this month in Bentonville, Arkansas, he said.

Mr. Hutchinson has an interesting take on Donald: 

On Sunday, Hutchinson, a former federal prosecutor, reiterated the call he first made Friday for Trump to withdraw from the race.

“Well he should,” Hutchinson said, when asked whether Trump should pull out of the race. “But at the same time, we know he’s not [going to]. And there’s not any constitutional requirement.” The indictment will become too big of a “sideshow,” Hutchinson said, adding that the former president should focus on his defense instead of another bid for the White House.

“I mean, first of all, the office is more important than any individual person. And so for the sake of the office of the presidency, I do think that’s too much of a sideshow and distraction, and he needs to be able to concentrate on his due process[.] Read the entire article here. 

I've moved Mr. Hutchinson to the "I'm Running" list:

I'm Running (and the date they declared their candidacy)

1. Donald Trump (November 15, 2022)
2. Nikki Haley (February 14, 2023)
3. Vivek Ramaswamy (February 21, 2023) By the way, who is this guy? Politico describes him as a "multi-millionaire biotech entrepreneur and self-described intellectual godfather of the anti-woke movement." Okay.  
4. Asa Hutchinson (April 2, 2023)

... and deleted his name from the "I'm Thinking About Running" list:

I'm Thinking About Running

1. Governor Greg Abbott, Texas
2. John Bolton, former White House National Security Adviser
3. Liz Cheney, former congresswoman from Wyoming
4. Chris Christie, former governor of New Jersey, was a candidate in 2016
5. Rep. Dan Crenshaw, Texas 
6. Senator Ted Cruz, Texas 
7. Governor Ron DeSantis, Florida
8. Governor Doug Ducey, Arizona
9. Richard Grenell, former ambassador to Germany and former acting director of national intelligence
10. Will Hurd, former congressman from Texas
11. Mark Meadows, White House chief of staff and former North Carolina representative 
12. Governor Kristi L. Noem, South Dakota
13. Robert C. O’Brien, national security advisor 
14. Vice President Mike Pence
15. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo
16. Senator Mitt Romney, Utah, 2012 Republican nominee for president
17. Senator Marco Rubio, Florida 
18. Senator Ben Sasse, Nebraska 
19. Senator Rick Scott, Florida
20. Senator Patrick J. Toomey, Pennsylvania

Days until Election Day: 583

And one more thing: Since my last post, Donald has been indicted (or "indicated", as he put it in a Truth Social post) by the Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, after a vote to indict by the Grand Jury. I have lots of thoughts about this, no surprise, but for now I'll just say that my dream in life is to live in a country where no one is stupid enough to send money to Donald Trump. Apparently a fund-raising blitz, which started seven seconds after the indictment was announced, has raised as much as 5 million dollars. How can people still be sending this man money? Wouldn't it be more entertaining to sit around setting $100 bills on fire? 

Update: Back on January 6, The Daily Mail ran a story saying that John Bolton would run in 2024, based on an interview Bolton gave to Good Morning, Britain. I saw the tweet the Mail sent out at the time but the story didn't get much traction, and as of yet Mr. Bolton hasn't officially announced, so I'm keeping him on the I'm Thinking About Running list. (Am I obsessed with lists? Yes.) You can read the Daily Mail story here.  

Update #2 on April 12: Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina has formed a presidential exploratory committee. This is from the Washington Post:

Scott, the only Black Republican in the Senate, has spent recent months laying the groundwork for a national campaign via early state travel and donor events. The exploratory committee will allow Scott's team to ramp up fundraising and fund travel before he officially declares a bid.

Based on this, I'm moving him to the "I'm Running" list. 

I'm Running (and the date they declared their candidacy)

1. Donald Trump (November 15, 2022)
2. Nikki Haley (February 14, 2023)
3. Vivek Ramaswamy (February 21, 2023) By the way, who is this guy? Politico describes him as a "multi-millionaire biotech entrepreneur and self-described intellectual godfather of the anti-woke movement." Okay.  
4. Asa Hutchinson (April 2, 2023)
5. Senator Tim Scott (April 12, 2023)

There's one more piece of political news. Yesterday it was announced that Chicago will host the 2024 Democratic National Convention, which will take place on August 19-22 next year.

Days until the election: 573