Hutchinson expects fewer challengers to 'known quantity' Trump than in 2016

Former Arkansas Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson expects that fewer Republicans will line up to challenge former President Donald Trump for the GOP's 2024 nomination than did so in 2016, when more than a dozen candidates entered the race.

Hutchinson announced this week that he would seek the party nomination, making him the third challenger to the former president to attract any meaningful press attention. Thus far, both former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and tech mogul Vivek Ramaswamy have announced their candidacies.

"I think it’s totally different from 2016,” Hutchinson said. “One, we’re not going to have as many candidates in the field as 2016. Secondly, Donald Trump is a known quantity today," Hutchinson told The Hill. "I don’t think you’re going to see the same challenges that you saw in 2016."

In the 2016 race, Trump quickly emerged as a frontrunner after declaring his candidacy and retained that position almost uninterrupted throughout the contest. Currently, the former president has seen a surge in polling in recent weeks amid his indictment in Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's case. He is expected to face arraignment on Tuesday.

Hutchinson acknowledged the polling surge, but observed that the development had occurred early in the contest, leaving plenty of time for the Arkansas governor to establish himself. Hutchinson served two terms as the governor of Arkansas and was succeeded in 2023 by the Trump-backed Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

"The most recent indictment has given Donald Trump a bump of fundraising and poll numbers, and it’s because people believe he’s been mistreated and that there’s a political indictment that’s been filed against him," he said. "Time will tell how that plays, and I’ve said we ought to see how the facts develop."

"Even though I wouldn’t have brought that case under the facts I understand it; they’re filed and he’s got a bump out of it. This is very early in the season, and you’ll just have to see whether that short-term benefit goes long-term," he added.

Trump's most formidable rival in the polls is Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has yet to officially announce his candidacy.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on Twitter.