In some quarters of the country, Asa Hutchinson has by now become a household name — that is, in households that get their news from CNN, ABC News and other mainstream outlets, where Hutchinson has become a ubiquitous presence, a cherished if pitied voice of reason for those who bemoan the Trumpification of the GOP. “Right now,” Bebee says, “Democrats, independents and many Republicans are looking at him to say that he’s got some courage.”
Hutchinson is an equally known, if despised, commodity among hardcore MAGA Republican activists. But speaking to normal, less politically engaged Iowa Republicans who encounter the former governor, it becomes evident that, to a degree, Trump is right about “Ada”: Before coming to hear him, “nobody knows who the hell this guy is.”
“I don’t hear negatives,” says one Iowa GOP official who requested anonymity to share a candid assessment. “I just don’t hear a lot.”
It’s a double-edged sword. Without a sudden surge in name recognition, Hutchinson will struggle to get the remaining donors he needs to make the Milwaukee debate.
On the flip side, flying under the radar (and largely out of Trump’s crosshairs) has given Hutchinson something that former Vice President Mike Pence, Chris Christie and other better-known anti-Trump candidates don’t have: the opportunity to make a first impression, on his terms. “When he shows up someplace and people talk to him, they’re suitably impressed,” says former Iowa House Speaker and current state Rep. Brent Siegrist, who has endorsed DeSantis. “They like the message, they like the executive experience. I would say it’ll be difficult for him to finish in the top three. But Iowa’s about exceeding expectations, and so if he maybe finished fourth or fifth and beat Christie and a few others, he might have a little more life in New Hampshire.”
For the last stop of Hutchinson’s late-June Iowa swing, state director Taylor Mattox drives the candidate nearly three hours — past innumerable cornfields and wind farms — to Marcus, a town of 1,038 not far from Iowa’s border with South Dakota. Arriving with a half-hour to spare and a hungry Hutchinson, Mattox drives the ghost-town streets of Marcus in search of a lunch spot. Pizza Ranch, the only restaurant in sight, appears closed, so we pull into Jeff’s Foods — the town’s only grocery store — to forage for sustenance. Exiting Mattox’s white SUV in the blazing heat, Hutchinson dons his white Asa 2024 baseball cap and strides through the entrance. He takes a long look around the quiet, air-conditioned grocery store, and — eager to squeeze every last bit of toothpaste out of his campaign-trail tube — introduces himself to the cashier.
“Nice to meet you,” she says. “Where are you from?”
“Arkansas. I’m the former governor of Arkansas.”
“Oh, OK.”
“Eight years there, I was in Congress, I was head of the DEA.”
“Nice to meet you.”
Hutchinson spots an older woman nearby: “I didn’t say hi to you. You look like a wonderful lady from Iowa. I’m Asa Hutchinson. I’m running for president.”
“Oh, nice to meet you, sir.”
“It’s great to be in the community,” he says. “I was the former governor of Arkansas, just finished eight years there, and Iowa is very important right now. You get to decide.”
“Yes,” she replies. “They’re trying hard to take it away from us.”
“Well, I’m for it. I’m on the Republican side. We’ll be here.”
“Nice to meet you,” she says. “Please defeat Trump no matter what.”
“Yes, yes, that’s why I’m running. We want alternatives.”
Hutchinson goes on to greet each shopper — one by one, aisle by aisle — before I lose sight of him. He’s in the back office, chatting up Mike the Manager — just one more potential dollar on the road to Milwaukee.