News & Events
Asa Hutchinson Talks About his Solutions-Oriented Approach to Governing his Home State WASHINGTON, DC – Arkansas credit. To graduate now from Arkansas having been reelected in 2018 with 65% Governor Asa Hutchinson appeared schools, you have to have computer of the vote, receiving more votes than before a luncheon meeting of The science. any other candidate for governor in the Ripon Society on February 9th, “This is an extraordinary step state’s history. He became Chairman of delivering remarks about his role as forward, recognizing that teaching the National Governors Association last Chairman of the National Governors our young people the opportunities July, and leads the organization with Association, and his bipartisan, in software development and cyber Democratic Governor Phil Murphy of solutions-oriented approach to security allows us to bring technology New Jersey serving as his Vice Chair. governing his home Hutchinson state. noted that he and “We had the Murphy took part in NGA meeting less a panel discussion at than 10 days ago,” the recent meeting Hutchinson stated, of all the Governors, referring to the annual a discussion that gathering of Governors was moderated that was recently by philanthropist held in Washington. David Rubinstein “It’s sort of the last and focused in part bastion of potential on the meaning of bipartisanship. It’s neat bipartisanship and to see the Governors why it is important talking about problems for Republicans and that we have in common Democrats to work and how we can together to get things address them together. done. And we share ideas, “ D a v i d “To solve problems, you’ve got to reach whether Democrat or Rubenstein is really across the aisle.” Republican.” a great interviewer,” Gov. Asa Hutchinson One of those ideas H u t c h i n s o n related to computer recounted. “The first Remarks to The Ripon Society science education, question he asked me February 9, 2022 which, Hutchinson was, ‘Well, Governor said, he has not only Hutchinson, what’s made a national initiative in his role companies to Arkansas. It allows us to so bad about partisanship?’ Great as NGA Chairman, but a priority in feed the incredible entrepreneurial spirit way to start out the conversation on his role as Chief Executive of the in technology that we already have — bipartisanship — to ask me about Razorback State. from Walmart, which is a technology partisanship. And it is a great question. “Arkansas was the first state to company, to U.S. Steel, which is a “I look back at my own history, mandate that all schools offer computer technology company that happens to and I was as partisan as anyone. I was science,” he stated. “We went from make steel. We have to produce that Chairman of the Republican Party of 1,100 students taking computer science talent, and we’re doing that. And I took Arkansas when we were in the minority, when I became Governor, to over that issue nationally, asking governors and I helped build the Republican Party 12,500 taking computer science today. to form a compact to help promote that to where it’s a red state today. So, I’m And we took it a step further in this in all the different states.” partisan in elections. But I also believe last legislative session. We were the Hutchinson is serving his second that once the election is over, you’ve third state to mandate it as a graduation term as the 46th Governor of Arkansas, got to solve problems. And to solve 30
RIPON FORUM February 2022
