Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) said on Sunday that former President Donald Trump’s repeated efforts to challenge the results of last year’s presidential elction could be a disaster for Republican candidates in next years midterms.
Hutchinson’s remarks on NBC’s “Meet the Press” reflect with widespread GOP view that the party is better off keepin the focus on President Biden and Democrats’ spending plans than on Trump.
“Re-litigating 2020 is a recipe for disaster in 2022,” Hutchinson said. “Let’s talk about the future. The election is past. It’s been certified. The states made decisions on the integrity of each of their elections and made improvements where need be.
Trump has been focused on battling over last year’s election, and suggested his supporters will not come out to vote for Republicans next year unless they back him on the issue.
“If we don’t solve the Presidential Election Fraud of 2020 (which we have thoroughly and conclusively documented), Republicans will not be voting in ‘22 or ‘24. It is the single most important thing for Republicans to do,” Trump said in an email sent to supporters.
Hutchinson said such remarks are unhelpful.
“It’s about the future. It’s not about the last election. And those kind of comments are not constructive. We can win in 2022, and we’re going to, but let’s focus on the important issues of our supply chain, of getting over this pandemic, about freedom, and not the last election,” he said.
Democrats have sought to tie Republicans to Trump, believing that can help their candidates.
An early test case will come next month in Virginia in the gubernatorial contest, where Democrats are seeking to tie the GOP candidate to Trump.