Asa Hutchinson hit the 40,000 donors required to make the GOP debate stage by paying people $20 for every $1 donation they could solicit, and appealing to MSNBC viewers that he would use the platform to “prosecute” former president Donald J. Trump.
The so-called texting-for-pay scheme was the brainchild of Austin Barbour, who heads Hutchinson’s America Strong & Free Action super PAC: “My thought was, if you get somebody to call their friends, family, somebody they know – all they’re asking for is $1 – certainly they’re going to say ‘yes’,” he explained.
Barbour’s own 18-year-old son somehow “found” 100 donors, which should have netted him a a cool $2,000.
Hutchinson, a former Governor of Arkansas, has attempted to run as the anti-Trump candidate. However, despite receiving the tacit endorsement of The Washington Post, he has had less successful cutting through to Never Trump diehards in the GOP than the similarly positioned Chris Christie, whose alarming physical appearance and outlandish statements on fighting Trump in a cage have garnered more public attention.
2024 National Republican Primary
• Trump — 58% (+44)
• DeSantis — 14%
• Ramaswamy — 10%
• Pence — 6%
• Haley — 3%
• Scott — 3%
• Christie — 3%
• Hutchinson — 1%Morning Consult | 3,608 RV | 08/18-20https://t.co/l71qO5QJDL pic.twitter.com/USapFpPkLt
— InteractivePolls (@IAPolls2022) August 21, 2023