Gov. Asa Hutchinson endorses Rubio for President, Hillary announces Arkansas team

Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) on Monday (Feb. 22) endorsed U.S. Sen, Marco Rubio for president, a day after the GOP Presidential candidate appeared at a campaign rally in Little Rock. Also on Monday, the Hillary Clinton campaign announced an Arkansas “Leadership Council” of more than 150 members.

Hutchinson compared Rubio to President Ronald Reagan.

“The more I’ve watched this election unfold, the more I’ve come to see that Marco Rubio is the only candidate who can unite our nation the way Ronald Reagan once did,” Hutchinson was quoted saying in a campaign news release. “Not only is Marco uniquely capable of rallying Americans behind a conservative vision for the future, but he also fully understands what it takes to keep us safe in this dangerous world. I am endorsing Marco Rubio for president today because we need his optimism and strength in the White House.”

Hutchinson was an early supporter of former Gov. Mike Huckabee, who has subsequently dropped out of the race after a poor showing in the Iowa Caucuses.

Rubio has been endorsed by U.S. Reps. Steve Womack and Rick Crawford, Lt. Governor Tim Griffin, and Auditor Andrea Lea. He also has been endorsed by about 30 legislators, including his state chairman, Sen. Bart Hester, R-Cave Springs; House Speaker Jeremy Gilliam, R-Judsonia; and Sen. Jonathan Dismang, R-Beebe.

On Sunday in an exclusive interview with Talk Business & Politics’ Roby Brock before his rally, Rubio hinted that he would like to have Hutchinson’s endorsement when asked whose he preferred between Hutchinson and U.S. Sens. John Boozman and Tom Cotton.

“They’re all good people. We’d obviously love to have the governor’s and my colleagues, so they’re all equal. I’d love to have them all, but the governor’s are always a big deal,” Rubio said, in the interview which you can watch here.

Hutchinson was in Washington, D.C. on Sunday when Rubio was in state or the endorsement might have occurred on stage, sources tell TB&P. Boozman and Cotton have yet to endorse a candidate that is still in the running at this time.

Arkansas’ Republican and Democratic primaries are March 1.

HILLARY LEADERSHIP COUNCIL
The Hillary for Arkansas Leadership Council includes former Gov. Mike Beebe, former U.S. Sen. David Pryor, former U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor, and Vince Insalaco, chairman of the Democratic Party of Arkansas.

Clinton faces U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., in the Democratic primary.

Other members of the team include former Gov. Jim Guy Tucker; former U.S. Reps. Mike Ross and Marion Berry; former Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel; and three former first ladies, Ginger Beebe, Betty Tucker and Barbara Pryor. Sixteen current state representatives also are serving on the Leadership Council, as is Little Rock Mayor Mark Stodola.

Members of the team with ties to President Bill Clinton’s administration include Gen. Wes Clark, who led NATO forces against Yugoslavia in 1999; former U.S. Secretary of Transportation Rodney Slater; James Lee Witt, former DEMA director; and Thomas “Mack” McLarty, President Clinton’s chief of staff.

Insalaco is a member of the Leadership Council while also serving as chair of the Democratic Party of Arkansas. H.L. Moody, the DPA’s communications director, said Insalaco is acting as an individual in his capacity as one of five Arkansas “superdelegates” and is free to endorse who he wants, so long as he does not use party resources.

A Feb. 4 poll conducted by Talk Business & Politics and Hendrix College gave former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton a 32-point advantage (57% to 25%) over Sanders, with 18% undecided. The polling using IVR technology and has a margin of error of +/-3.3%, and included 451 Democrats and 457 Republicans.

On the GOP side, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz had 27% support, with Rubio and New York businessman Donald Trump tied at 23%. However, the South Carolina primary changed the dynamic in the GOP primary, with former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush ending his campaign and Rubio gaining momentum with a better than expected primary result.