Asa Hutchinson on Saturday said his campaign garnered thousands of new donors after the Republican presidential hopeful stated at the GOP debate that he would “stand firm” in not supporting Donald Trump if he is convicted of serious crimes.
“When the question is: ‘Would you support Donald Trump if he’s convicted of serious felonies?’ And I’m the only one that was clear on that, actually, without any hesitation,” Hutchinson said on Fox News Saturday. “Now, after the debate we had received almost 4,000 new donors as a result of my debate appearance. We got a small bump in the polls, and I think that’ll continue. You’ve got to do what Abraham Lincoln talked about, and that is find solid ground and stand firm. I’m in the right place and I’ll stand firm.”
Hutchinson has maintained for months that he would not support a Trump bid for a second term in the White House should the former president become the Republican nominee and also be convicted of a felony.
The former Arkansas governor is in a slim minority of GOP candidates not willing to entertain another Trump nomination if he’s convicted — Hutchinson and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie were the only two candidates whose hands didn’t shoot up to indicate support for Trump when asked by debate co-host Bret Baier while on stage Wednesday. While Christie slowly raised his fist to noncommittally shake a finger, Hutchinson stood with his arms firmly planted by his sides.
Despite their lukewarm stances on Trump, both candidates signed a pledge to support the Republican nominee — regardless of who it may be — a prerequisite outlined by the RNC for participation in the primary debates.
Hutchinson currently barely registers in the polls, ranking 8th among the GOP candidates at 0.5 percent, according to RealClearPolitics.
