Gov.-elect Hutchinson: ‘significant change’ coming to Arkansas government

Arkansas Gov.-elect Asa Hutchinson said with huge Republican gains across the state, voters have sent a clear message for change, but he warns that expectations must be kept in check.

“You’ve got to keep it in perspective. The expectation level is going to be very high. That, ‘all right, you’ve got the wheels of government, now what are you going to do with it?'” Hutchinson said in his first in-depth interview since winning Tuesday’s gubernatorial race.

Governor-elect Hutchinson will be sworn into office in early January, but will be planning for the transition to his administration between now and then. He says he’s adopting a cautious and methodical approach during the transition period, but he expects to reshape state government in line with his political philosophy and leadership style.

“There will be significant change. This is a change in leadership and there will be changes, that’s what elections are about,” he said in response to whether he will keep some, all, or none of the current agency heads running parts of state government.

“[I] recognize that there are some positions that I want to have a continuity – they’re doing a good job – so there’s going to be a balance there. I want to make the best judgments, have the best people in there that will help me accomplish the agenda we’ve been elected on,” he said.

During the next 30 days, Hutchinson said he will meet with agency directors and assess their organizations and leadership. Ultimately, he knows he will be responsible for state government’s direction. And although the election results gave the GOP huge majorities, Hutchinson does not expect to work on strictly partisan lines or with pure party unity.

“If there’s a challenge or a problem, you’re accountable. There’s not anyone else you can point your finger at,” he said. “And the challenge is obviously that we’re going to have to work together not just across the aisle with Democrats, but within ourselves.”

Hutchinson acknowledged that with a much larger Republican Party comes diversity within its own ranks. In this instance, Republicans have members that span a conservative spectrum from “moderate conservative” to “very conservative.” Describing those differences, Hutchinson said all views must be respected.

“Just because I’m governor and I’ve got my priorities doesn’t mean it’s their priorities, and, they’re new legislators. So we’ve got to understand each other, we’ve got to persuade each other – it’s a competition of ideas – and I think there’s going to be some common ground with a conservative direction, with tax cuts, our budget being balanced, and a conservative approach to government – but we’re going to have some disagreements and we’re going to have to work through them,” he said.

Hutchinson added his thoughts during the interview on how he learned of Tuesday night’s quick election returns, his phone conversation with President Obama, key turning points in the Governor’s race, and some of his biggest concerns regarding the state budget as he moves forward.

Link here for the television interview with Hutchinson.