Asa Hutchinson names new top staffer, but struggling campaign set to miss South Carolina

Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson has brought on a new presidential campaign manager, Alison Williams, one day after parting ways with his previous top staffer.

Williams served as Hutchinson’s chief of staff from 2016 to 2023 while he was governor.

“She’s been with me from the U.S. Congress, which was 20 years ago, to DEA, Homeland Security, and then as governor, of course, in the key role as my chief of staff, and so she’s a trusted ally,” Hutchinson said of Williams. “She knows how I like things to operate, and I’m just delighted that she’s on board. And she’s going to bring our fighting team together for the sprint ahead.”

The staffing change comes as Hutchinson decided not to file for the primary ballot in South Carolina, citing the tough competition there between former President Donald Trump, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, and South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott.

“As a practical matter, there’s minimal chance that I would have to win the entire state of South Carolina. And so if you, if you can’t win it, then let’s maximize the opportunity for non-Trump delegates,” Hutchinson told NBC News.

It’s also a nod to the reality of the campaign: The $50,000 fee to file for the South Carolina primary amounts to more than 15% of the cash Hutchinson reported having on hand last month. The former governor failed to qualify for the second Republican presidential primary debate in September and has just a few days left to meet the requirements for the third debate on Nov. 8 in Miami. And he has not scored above 1% in a public national or state poll of the GOP primary in more than a month.

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Hutchinson said he hopes his decision will maximize the opportunity to spread out delegates and lead to a more competitive Super Tuesday.

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“I was surprised that actually everybody filed in South Carolina, it doesn’t make sense to me and it seems to me to be a waste of resources and it also, here again, you know, could be playing into Trump’s hands,” Hutchinson said.

However, Hutchinson said he still plans to file for the ballot in Florida despite two more home-state favorites, Trump and Gov. Ron DeSantis, going up against each other there.