ASA HUTCHINSON

Arkansas Governor

Asa Hutchinson is the 46th governor of the State of Arkansas. In 2018, he was re-elected with 65% of the vote, having received more votes than any other candidate for governor in the state's history. He has won recognition for the state as a leader in computer science education, cut taxes by $150 million, and signed a law that exempts the retirement pay of veterans from state income tax. Under his economic development policies, over 100,000 more people are working in Arkansas than when he took office, and he has signed incentive agreements with nearly 450 companies that were expanding or opening in the state.

Arkansas’s forests cover 18.9 million acres or 56 percent of the State and contain 11.97 billion trees. According to the Arkansas Division of Agriculture, Forestry is the largest percentage of Arkansas’ economy when compared among the 13 southern states. When compared to all 50 states, Arkansas’ economy is four times more dependent on forestry. Learn more about Arkansas' forest product industry from the Arkansas Forestry Association →

President Ronald Reagan appointed Governor Hutchinson as U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas. In 1996, he won the first of three successive terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. During his third term in Congress, President George W. Bush appointed him director of the Drug Enforcement Administration and later as an undersecretary in the newly created Department of Homeland Security.

His experience has established him as a national resource for his expertise on trade, energy, national security, and education. The governor has been invited to the White House several times to join discussions about health care, Medicaid, and education issues.

The Governor is the co-chair of the Council of Governors and the former chairman of the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission (IOGCC), Southern States Energy Board (SSEB) and the Southern Regional Education Board.

Governor Hutchinson grew up on a small farm in Gravette. He is a graduate of the University of Arkansas law school. He and his wife, Susan, have been married 46 years. They have four children and six grandchildren.