Early Political Career
Hutchinson served in the Arkansas House of Representatives representing part of Fort Smith from 1985 to 1992. In 1992, he ran for the Republican nomination in Arkansas's 3rd congressional district after 26-year incumbent John P. Hammerschmidt announced his retirement. He defeated a fellow Republican state lawmaker Richard L. Barclay of Rogers, for the Republican nomination. He faced Democrat John VanWinkle, an attorney from Fayetteville, in the general election, and won by only 7,500 votes--a margin of five percent. He owed his victory to a 10,000-vote margin in Benton County. It was the second-closest margin in the 3rd, one of the most Republican districts in the South, since it fell into Republican hands in 1966. The only closer race was in 1974, when Bill Clinton came within 6,300 votes of ousting Hammerschmidt. Clinton narrowly carried the 3rd in his successful run for President, a factor in the closeness of the congressional race.
The district reverted to form in 1994, and Hutchinson was reelected with 63 percent of the vote.
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