Against the odds, Asa Hutchinson remains optimistic he'll join first Republican debate

As the first Republican presidential debate looms, candidate Asa Hutchinson is still short on meeting his campaign donation requirement to participate.

Despite that, Hutchinson outwardly appears as hopeful as ever that he will earn a spot on the stage.

The former Arkansas governor, who’s been fighting for name recognition and donations amid a sea of Republican candidates, says he’s gained steam over the past month.

Hutchinson’s campaign reported reaching 6,444 unique donors on July 14. In early August, Hutchinson told the Des Moines Register the campaign had garnered more than 10,000 new donations over two weeks. And last week, Hutchinson's campaign confirmed he had reached 22,000 donors, according to Politico.

Hutchinson said he’s also reached the polling requirement set for the debate by the Republican National Committee, despite not spending a “dime” on television advertising.

While exploring the Iowa State Fair on Tuesday after Gov. Kim Reynolds' "fair-side chat," Hutchinson wouldn't reveal an estimate on the latest donor count, adding he was waiting for new numbers to come in. Federal Election Commission filings show Hutchinson received about $500,000 in campaign contributions from April 1 to June 30.

Hutchinson credits his grassroots campaigning and clear message for steadily winning over prospective voters. His frequent criticisms against President Donald Trump have also turned heads.

But he’s still a far cry from the RNC’s donor threshold, which requires getting 40,000 unique donations, to join fellow candidates like former President Donald Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy on stage on Aug. 23 in Milwaukee.

“We are growing significantly every day,” Hutchinson told the Register. “So the response has obviously been positive to my message — people want me on the debate stage. It’s a big lift to get to 40,000 coming from a small state … but I’m optimistic we will" get there, he said.

Asa Hutchinson condemns Trump's latest indictments

Hutchinson has repeatedly condemned Trump for indictments, including the charges that came Monday night from a grand jury in Georgia accusing the former president and a slate of allies of trying to steal Biden’s win in the state during the 2020 presidential election.

Hutchinson on Tuesday called the latest slate of charges “a sad moment for our country," adding that Trump's actions "disqualified" him from taking office again. And unlike most of his opponents, Hutchinson would not pardon Trump if elected, he told Scripps News.

Hutchinson’s frequent and sharp criticisms of Trump have set him apart from his opponents, who have been reluctant to criticize Trump and call out his charges, but it has caused him to draw some ire from some Republicans. In July, Hutchinson was met with boos and chants of "Trump" when he spoke at the Turning Point Action Conference in West Palm Beach, Florida, according to CNN.

Showing up to Trump-heavy events like the Turning Point conference is all part of a plan to get voters into his camp, he said.

“I went there because it’s an audience I want to reach out to because I’ll need their vote at some time, whether it's after the primary or if Trump slides, I need those votes," he told the Register.

Roger Sutton, of Steamboat Rock, Iowa, said after Hutchinson's speech in early August, he had no strong opinion of him but said he was impressed by his track record as governor. He said Trump and DeSantis are the only candidates that have a chance.

"The enemy is Joe Biden and the deep state, he said.

Asa Hutchinson at the Iowa State Fair

Hutchinson, who espouses Ronald Regan-era values and policies, has made dozens of visits to Iowa stopping at around 40 events since April. His retail-style campaign has focused on covering the entire state, often speaking at events in cities like Wahpeton, Garber and Newton at events hosted by local county GOP committees to groups as small as eight prospective voters.

On Aug. 4, Hutchinson joined Texas pastor and presidential candidate Ryan Binkley at the Hardin County Republicans Sweet Corn Feed hosted by Steve and Jodie Gehrke in Eldora, Iowa, where he delivered a short elevator pitch citing recapping his experience as governor and cited issues like the economy and border security.

Hutchinson, who told the crowd he was celebrating his 50th wedding anniversary with his wife, Susan, said in a phone call with her earlier that day, she told him: "Don't you come home until you get 40,000 donors."

Hutchinson returned for the start of the Iowa State Fair, boasting he was the only presidential candidate at the opening ceremony on Aug. 10 and that he would be attending the fair nearly every day. During the fair-side chat, he introduced an immigration plan that would have a state-based visa program to bring in skilled workers for industries such as agriculture and healthcare.

In a chat with reporters, he briefly jabbed Ron DeSantis about the state of Florida paying to fly about 50 Venezuelan migrants from Texas to Martha's Vineyard last fall, calling the tactic "showboating." He applauded Texas Gov. Greg Abbott — who moved migrants arriving in Texas to downtown Los Angeles — saying Abbott approached the issue in a "much more serious way."

Virginia Barreda is the Des Moines city government reporter for the Register. She can be reached at vbarreda@dmreg.com. Follow her on Twitter at @vbarreda2.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Asa Hutchinson still optimistic he'll join first GOP presidential debate