Hutchinson touts post-debate donor bump

Former Arkansas Governor and GOP presidential candidate Asa Hutchinson on Saturday claimed he has received thousands of new donors after the first GOP primary debate on Thursday.

Hutchinson and the other candidates were asked to raise their hands if they would support former President Trump if he secured the Republican nomination and was later convicted.

Six of the eight candidates raised their hand, indicating they would support Trump in response to Fox News moderator Brett Baier’s question, but Hutchinson and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who has been the loudest Trump critic in the primary field, did not.

“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 during an appearance on Fox News Saturday.

“Now, after the debate we had received almost 4,000 new donors as a result of my debate appearance.”

Christie seemingly raised his hand halfway but appeared to indicate he wasn’t raising his hand, but Hutchinson stood firm with his hands firmly by his sides. Christie was booed consistently throughout the debate for criticizing Trump.

Hutchinson also claimed he received a small bump in the polls as a result of his debate stand and said he will continue to stand firm in his commitment to not support Trump if he is convicted, pointing to what he sees as the example Abraham Lincoln set.

“You’ve got to do what Abraham Lincoln talked about, and that is find solid ground and stand firm,” he said. “I’m in the right place and I’ll stand firm.”

It is worth noting that both Hutchinson and Christie signed a pledge to support the Republican nominee, whether that is Trump or someone else — a requirement by the RNC to appear on the debate stage.