Former Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson endorsed Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley on Saturday, days after he ended his own presidential bid.
“Anyone who believes Donald Trump will unite this country has been asleep over the last 8 years,” Hutchinson wrote in a post on X. “Trump intentionally tries to divide America and will continue to do so. Go @NikkiHaley in New Hampshire. #FITN”
Hutchinson’s endorsement came after Senator Tim Scott (R., S.C.), who dropped out of the race in November, endorsed Trump and said the country needs a president “who will unite our country.”
Hutchinson suspended his long-shot presidential campaign on Tuesday morning after finishing in sixth place in the Iowa caucuses the night before.
Hutchinson was a vocal critic of Trump throughout his time on the campaign trail, having called on Trump to drop out of the race on several occasions over his alleged role in the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot and his various legal issues.
“My message of being a principled Republican with experience and telling the truth about the current front runner did not sell in Iowa,” he said in a statement announcing his decision to drop out of the race. “I stand by the campaign I ran. I answered every question, sounded the warning to the GOP about the risks in 2024 and presented hope for our country’s future.”
Hutchinson received just 0.2 percent of the vote during the Republican caucuses in Iowa on Monday night, finishing behind Texas businessman Ryan Binkley, who earned 0.7 percent.
Trump won the night with 51 percent of the vote. Ron DeSantis finished in a distant second at 21.2 percent, with Haley close behind at 19.1 percent.
Vivek Ramaswamy finished fourth with 7.7 percent, leading him to drop out of the race on Monday night.
Hutchinson’s endorsement comes days before New Hampshire’s open primary, which is seen as Haley’s last chance to stop Trump’s rapid march to the nomination as the state’s independent voters are seen as likely to be more open to Haley’s candidacy than Iowa’s more conservative base.
A RealClearPolitics average of New Hampshire polling finds Trump leading with 44.5 percent of the vote, with Haley following at 31.3 percent. The average still includes Chris Christie drawing 11 percent support before his exit from the race earlier this month. Christie supporters are expected to get in line behind Haley, but as we reported last week, some of Christie’s most ardent supporters aren’t sold on the former U.S. ambassador to the U.N.