LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) – A longtime Arkansas lawmaker and nephew of the state’s Republican governor said on Thursday that he is leaving the Republican Party, citing Donald Trump’s rhetoric and the deadly uprising on the US Capitol by ex-president supporters .
Senator Jim Hendren’s announcement closes the door for him to seek the party’s nomination for governor next year, but he said he did not rule out the possibility of running as an independent. Hendren said the decision was “backbone” as he focused on an organization he formed with the goal of helping independent candidates.
Hendren, nephew of Governor Asa Hutchinson, was more willing than other Republican figures in the state to criticize Trump. At the a nine-minute video announcing your decision, he cited Trump’s insults about immigrants, women and John McCain, as well as his false attacks on the legitimacy of the election that led to the January 6 riot.
“For me, that day was the last straw,” said Hendren. “I wondered, what the hell would I say to my grandchildren when they asked one day, what happened and what did I do about it?”
Hendren clashed with the Arkansas Republicans on other issues. He is the primary sponsor of a hate crime bill that drew resistance from some conservatives and was the only Republican in the Senate to vote against a “Stand Your Ground” bill that eased restrictions on the use of lethal force in self-defense .
Hendren’s decision keeps him out of the Republican primaries that were overshadowed by the candidacy of former White House press secretary Sarah Sanders. Sanders, the daughter of former governor Mike Huckabee, indicated that he would rely heavily on Trump and his rhetoric with an ad video promising to fight the “radical left”.
Attorney General Leslie Rutledge is also running for the party’s nomination, while Lieutenant Governor Tim Griffin dropped out of the race last week to run for attorney general. Hutchinson, who has been in office since 2015, is hampered by term limits on seeking re-election.
James “Rus” Russell, who runs an outpatient mental health clinic in Little Rock, is the only Democrat who has announced that he is running.
The head of state GOP questioned the timing of Hendren’s announcement, saying he could not compete with Sanders or Rutledge.
“This is nothing more than an attempt to garner pressure for a future independent candidacy for governor,” Republican state state president Jonelle Fulmer said in a statement.
State Democrats said Hendren’s decision showed how the Republican Party had become very divisive and not focused on the state.
“Sen. Hendren’s departure highlights the mistakes made in voting blindly for Republicans based on divisive national rhetoric, “Democratic Party President Michael John Gray said in a statement.
Hendren is a former president of the state Senate who has served in the Chamber since 2013. Previously, he served in the state Chamber of Deputies from 1995 to 1999.
Hutchinson said he believed his nephew’s motives were pure, but he defended the Republican Party’s work on issues such as tax cuts and abortion restrictions.
“While I understand and identify with the concerns expressed by Senator Hendren, I am convinced that, for me, the best path to continued conservative governance is through the Republican Party,” he said in a statement.