Asa Hutchinson in 2014 Arkansas Governor's race

On Local Issues: Shift lottery authority to new state agency

One question centered on the future of Arkansas's scholarship lottery. The legislature acted this month to temporarily prohibit an expansion into monitor-based games. The keno-style games with drawings on screens every 4 to 6 minutes could be located in retail outlets, restaurants, service stations, and bars.

Ross said he was against the lottery when it began but now wants to work to make it better. Hutchinson said the lottery's authority should shift from its commission to a new state agency. "More influence on the director by the governor as an executive branch agency I think would help them to look at problems down the road. We've got some significant challenges from reduced revenue for the lottery," said Hutchinson.

Both Ross and Hutchinson have previously said they do not support putting state general revenue into the scholarships. While Hutchinson & Ross expressed distaste for the lottery they still talked about utilizing its funds for scholarships and continuing its existence.

Source: UALR Public Radio on 2014 Arkansas Gubernatorial debate Jul 11, 2014

On Budget & Economy: AdWatch: Worked for lobbying firm after leaving Congress

The Democratic Governors Association said a group affiliated with it, "Jobs and Opportunity," has made a six-figure ad buy. The ad claims former Rep. Asa Hutchinson has a history of "wheeling and dealing" while the Democratic candidate, former Rep. Mike Ross, displayed common sense & fiscal responsibility during his term. "D.C. lobbyist Asa Hutchinson has forgotten what Arkansas values look like," a spokesman said.

Hutchinson's campaign criticized the Democratic group's new ad. "This ad is misleading and hypocritical. They need to check their facts. Asa was practicing law in Arkansas while Mike Ross was voting for these very bills in Washington."

The ad says Hutchinson and the firm where he worked after leaving Congress benefited from the stimulus program. "While Hutchinson and his lobbying firm were cashing in on a stimulus bill and the Wall Street and Detroit bailouts, Mike Ross was fighting for a balanced budget amendment and voting against congressional pay raises," a Ross spokesman said.

Source: Miami Herald AdWatch on 2014 Arkansas gubernatorial race Feb 18, 2014

On Health Care: A lot of budget "fuzziness" if private option is not renewed

Gov. Mike Beebe spoke at the winter conference of the Arkansas Sheriffs' Association a day after Hutchinson spoke to the same group. Hutchinson told the sheriffs, when asked about the possibility of budget cuts if the private option is not renewed this year, that he believes "the numbers are very, very loose." He told reporters later that "I think there's a lot of fuzziness on what may or may not happen" if the private option is not renewed.

Beebe told the sheriffs there is no "fuzziness" to his administration's estimate of $89 million in expected savings from the so-called private option, emphatically rejecting Republican gubernatorial candidate Asa Hutchinson's description of it by that term. "It's not hype. It's not B.S. It's plain old arithmetic," he said.

The private option is the state's program that uses federal Medicaid money to provide private health insurance to low-income Arkansans. About 85,000 people have enrolled so far.

Source: Arkansas News on 2014 Arkansas gubernatorial race Jan 28, 2014

On Government Reform: 1999: Brought articles of impeachment against Bill Clinton

In the 2014 campaign, former Rep. Ross is expected to go head-to-head with Republican Asa Hutchinson, a former congressman from Northwest Arkansas, in a race with some political ghosts. Ross is a protege of former President Bill Clinton; and, Hutchinson is the former congressman who brought the articles of impeachment against Clinton from the U.S. House of Representatives to trial in the U.S. Senate in 1999. Clinton was subsequently acquitted, ostensibly on the basis of an emotional floor speech by then-Senator Dale Bumpers, of Arkansas. Source: Hope Star on 2014 Arkansas gubernatorial race Jan 2, 2014

On Tax Reform: Tax reduction will spur job growth

Asa Hutchinson released his plan for income tax reduction: "My number one priority as Governor will be job creation. One way to spur job growth is through tax reduction. Tax cuts are an effective method to spur economic growth."

Asa's press release sounded like a Bush campaign speech and contained the same promises made by Bush and all Republican candidates for the past 80 years. This should not be a surprise because Asa served 5 years as one of Bush's most trusted official.

Source: The Sun Times on 2014 Arkansas Governor's race Dec 6, 2013

The above quotations are from 2014 Arkansas Gubernatorial debates and race coverage. Click here for other excerpts from 2014 Arkansas Gubernatorial debates and race coverage. Click here for other excerpts by Asa Hutchinson. Click here for other excerpts by other Governors.
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Page last updated: Dec 05, 2018