Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson
GOP Governor Asa Hutchinson clashes with Tucker Carlson over veto bill to block trans youth healthcare Nighttime Healthcare: Biden Says US Still In ‘Race to the Death’ With Virus | White House rules out involvement in ‘vaccine passports’ | Arkansas lawmakers ignore Hutchinson veto on transgender bill Arkansas lawmakers ignore Hutchinson veto on transgender youth law MORE (R) made headlines this week when he vetoed an anti-transgender health law, the latest example of the conservative governor of a red state contradicting his party as it continues to engage in culture wars.
Hutchinson vetoed a bill passed by state legislature on Monday that would prevent doctors from providing medical care to transgender youth, such as puberty blockers, hormone therapies and transition-related surgeries. While lawmakers on Tuesday overruled the veto, Hutchinson was clear about his problems with the bill at a time when Republicans in dozens of state houses are pushing measures aimed at transgender rights.
Arkansas political observers and insiders say this has become typical of Hutchinson, who is somewhat of a legacy of a more traditionally conservative GOP legislator at a time when large swathes of the party have been deeply involved in fighting culture wars and allied themselves closely. with the Trump wing of the party.
Multiple Arkansas strategists described Hutchinson as “ pragmatic, ” and they suggested he is aware of how his actions could play out if he decides to pursue higher office once he leaves the governor’s mansion in January 2023.
“He has a limited term, so he has a little more freedom to do what he wants to do, perhaps,” said an official with ties to the Arkansas political scene. From what I’ve heard, he just doesn’t see this as conservative government policy. He sees it as the government trying to push policy on people’s lives, and it could be a fundamental disagreement between the conservative wing of the party and the more pragmatic wing. “
Hutchinson has not been shy about signing conservative legislation and draw the wrath of Democrats during his time as governor. He signed an amended version of a religious freedom law in 2015 after a similar measure in Indiana caused a stir. He signed one of the strictest abortion bans in the country earlier this year, saying he hoped it would lead to a ruling on the matter by the Supreme Court.
But the governor has been open about his concerns with the bill passed by lawmakers restricting access to medical treatment for young transgender people.
“While in some cases the state must act to protect lives, the state should not assume that it is jumping into every medical, human and ethical issue,” he said Monday when he vetoed the legislation. “This would – and is – a massive government overrun.”
Hutchinson said on Fox News on Tuesday that he would have backed a bill that only banned sex reassignment surgery.
But this was the first law in the nation to state the state between medical decisions, consenting parents, and the patient’s decision. And so this is going way too far, ”he said Tucker Carlson
Tucker Carlson GOP Governor Clashes With Tucker Carlson Over Veto Bill To Block Trans Youth Health Care Trump Denies Gaetz Soliciting General Clemency Gov. DeSantis Wins New Fans Right In ’60 Minutes’ Fight MORE“And in fact it doesn’t even have a grandfather clause for those young people undergoing hormone treatment.”
The state legislature voted Tuesday to lift Hutchinson’s veto, and experts say Arkansas has long left the rest of the nation in embracing policies that grant the same rights to the LGBTQ community and other minority groups. , including those as fundamental as same-sex marriage or the right to adopt.
The state-level efforts of the GOP to limit access to sports or medical care for transgender people have gained momentum this year. At the beginning of March, at least 35 bills had been passed to ban transgender students from playing sports in competitions consistent with their gender identity. An additional 25 bills had been filed, such as the one in Arkansas, that would ban access to gender-affirming medical care, in some cases with criminal penalties for parents approving the care or doctors performing the care.
Hutchinson has a proven track record of pushing back certain laws, he feels he is overstepping the role of government, and he has generally avoided wading into the cultural battles that have come to consume the GOP.
He was one of the first governors in the South to assume a mask mandate during the coronavirus pandemic, even then-President Trump
Donald Trump Gaetz trip to Bahamas is part of federal investigation into sex trafficking scoffed at their usefulness, and he was a regular, albeit under-the-radar critic of the former president’s 2020 rhetoric and pandemic response.
Hutchinson successfully filed a bill in 2017 that ends the state’s practice of celebrating Confederate General Robert E. Lee on the same day as Martin Luther King Jr. after a similar measure had previously failed.
And in 2019, Hutchinson told The Associated Press that he was in favor of changing the meaning of a star on the state flag highlighting the Confederacy, although the flag remains unchanged.
‘He’s not interested in the culture wars. He’s interested in governing, and he’s shown it time and time again, ”said Janine Parry, a professor at the University of Arkansas and longtime director of the Arkansas Poll.
Parry said Hutchinson is unlikely to face any real political repercussions if he vetoes the anti-transgender rights law, noting that his approval score has consistently hovered around 70 percent among likely voters.
Hutchinson is forced to step down from office next year due to terms. A primary GOP race is already taking shape, with candidates highlighting their ties to Trump. Former White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee
Sarah SandersAndrew Giuliani planning run for New York governor Trump appears on Sarah Huckabee Sanders campaign event Trump likely to form new super PAC MORE Sanders is widely regarded as the front runner, despite never having held an elected office.
Arkansas streets and observers said Hutchinson had ambitions for higher office than governor. He is unlikely to run to the House, and Sen. John Boozman
John Nichols Boozman Trump Allies Line Up For Potential Bruises For Primaries Fundraising Points To Trump-GOP Rifts Passage Of The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act Is The First Step To Heal Our Democracy MORE (R-Ark.) Has already said he plans to run for reelection in 2022.
A bid for a spot on a presidential ticket or a role in the next Republican government is not out of the question, officials said. Hutchinson has said he would not support Trump in 2024. Strategists suggested that Hutchinson’s efforts to profile himself as a more traditional conservative capable of governing would allow him to play a national play for years to come.
“His MO has always been a part of the conversation,” said Michael Cook, a strategist who has worked on multiple campaigns in Arkansas, who noted Hutchinson entered the national conversation with his veto this week.
“Second, I think he’s conservative, but I think he’s trying to put out a national profile,” Cook added. “What he sets himself out is to be part of the conversation and be conservative with a little bit of moderation that sets you apart from people who are always all Trump.”