Governor of Arkansas Asa Hutchinson
GOP Gov. Asa Hutchinson clashes with Tucker Carlson over veto of bill to block trans-youth health care Overnight health care: Biden says U.S. is still in “death and life race” with La Casa virus Blanca rules out participation in “vaccine passports” Arkansas lawmakers overturn Hutchinson’s veto of transgender bill Arkansas lawmakers overturn Hutchinson’s veto of youth transgender bill MORE (R) came out in the headlines this week when he vetoed an anti-transgender health bill, the latest example of the conservative governor of a red state facing his party as it sinks deeper into cultural wars.
Hutchinson on Monday vetoed a bill passed by the state legislature that prevents doctors from providing medical care to young transgender people, such as puberty blockers, hormone therapies and transition-related surgeries. While the legislature lifted the veto on Tuesday, Hutchinson has been clear about his problems with the bill at a time when Republicans in dozens of state houses are pushing for transgender rights-oriented measures.
Arkansas political observers and insiders say this has become typical for Hutchinson, which is a setback for a more traditionally conservative GOP lawmaker at a time when large sections of the party have been immersed in the struggle. against cultural wars and have been closely tied to the Trump wing of the party.
Several Arkansas strategists described Hutchinson as “pragmatic” and suggested he consider how they might play their actions in case he decides to hold a senior position once he leaves the governor’s mansion in January 2023.
“He has a limited deadline, so he has a little more freedom to do maybe what he wants to do,” an official linked to the Arkansas political scene said. “From what I’ve heard, he doesn’t just see it as a conservative government policy. He sees it as the government trying to push for policies on people’s lives, and it can 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 drawing the wrath of Democrats – during his time as governor. He signed an amended version of a religious freedom bill in 2015 after a similar measure in Indiana caused a riot. He signed one of the country’s most restrictive abortion bans earlier this year, saying he hoped the Supreme Court would reach a ruling on the issue.
But the governor has been open about his problems with the bill passed by the legislature restricting access to medical treatment for transgender young people.
“While in some cases the state must act to protect life, the state should not boast of jumping to the center of all medical, human and ethical issues,” he said Monday when he vetoed the legislation. “That would be (and is) a huge extension of government.”
Hutchinson told Fox News Tuesday that he would have supported a bill that only banned sex reassignment surgeries.
“But this was the first law in the country that invokes the state between medical decisions, parents consenting to it and the patient’s decision. And so that goes too far,” he said. Tucker Carlson
GOP Governor Tucker Carlson clashes with Tucker Carlson over veto of law to block trans youth health care Trump denies Gaetz apologizes for general Governor DeSantis wins new fans right in 60-minute fight MORE. “And in fact, it doesn’t even have a grandfather clause than young people who are on hormone treatment.”
The state legislature voted Tuesday to overturn Hutchinson’s veto, and experts say Arkansas has long followed the rest of the nation by adopting policies that offer equal rights to the LGBTQ community and other minority groups, including those as basic as gay marriage. the right to adopt.
GOP efforts at the state level to restrict access to sport or medical care for transgender people have gained momentum this year. By early March, at least 35 bills had been introduced to ban transgender students from playing sports in leagues that fit their gender identity. Another 25 bills had been introduced, such as the one in Arkansas, that would ban access to health care that affirmed gender, in some cases with criminal punishments for parents who approve care or doctors who perform it.
Hutchinson has a well-established history of backing down against some laws that he believes go beyond the role of government and has generally avoided entering into the cultural struggles that have come to consume the Republican Party.
He was one of the first governors in the South to adopt a masked mandate during the coronavirus pandemic, even as then.President Trump
Donald TrumpGaetz’s trip to the Bahamas as part of federal investigation into sex trafficking: Omar report calls on Biden administrator to continue with “construction of Trump’s xenophobic and racist wall” Biden to announce executive action against ghost weapons, red flag laws MORE he mocked its usefulness, and was a regular critic if it was under the radar of the ex-president’s rhetoric and pandemic response throughout 2020.
Hutchinson in 2017 successfully pushed for a bill that would end 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 to the state flag highlighted by the Confederacy, even though the flag remains unchanged.
“He is not interested in cultural wars. He is interested in governing and has shown it time and time again, ”said Janine Parry, a professor at the University of Arkansas and a longtime director of the Arkansas Survey.
Parry said Hutchinson is unlikely to face real political consequences for vetoing anti-transgender rights law, noting that his approval rating has consistently stood at around 70 percent among likely voters.
Hutchinson will be forced to step down due to term limits next year. A Republican Party primary race is already taking shape, with candidates emphasizing their ties to Trump. Former White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee
Sarah Sanders: Andrew Giuliani, New York Gov. Trump’s planning candidate, appears at Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ campaign event, Trump will likely form a new super PAC MORE Sanders is widely considered the leader, despite never having held the elected office.
Arkansas strategists and observers said Hutchinson had aspirations for a higher position beyond being governor. He is unlikely to run for the House and the senator. John Boozman
John Nichols Boozman: Trump’s allies lined up in front of potentially contusive primaries. Fundraising spits points at the Trump-GOP fissures. The passage of John Lewis’s Voting Rights Advancement Act is the first step in healing our democracy MORE (R-Ark.) He has already said he plans to run for re-election in 2022.
An offer for a seat on a presidential ticket or some role in the next Republican administration is not out of the question, officials said. Hutchinson has said he would not support Trump in 2024. Strategies suggested that Hutchinson’s efforts to project himself as a more traditional conservative capable of governing could position him to do national work in the coming years.
“His MO has always been part of the conversation,” said Michael Cook, a strategist who has worked on multiple Arkansas campaigns, noting that Hutchinson has entered the national conversation with his veto this week.
“I think secondly, he’s a conservative, but I think he’s trying to establish a national profile,” Cook added. “What stands out is being part of the conversation and being a conservative with a little bit of moderation that sets him apart from the people who are Trump all the time.”