| | Hutchinson served in the Arkansas House of Representatives from 1985 to 1992 from a district including a portion of [[Fort Smith, Arkansas|Fort Smith]]. In 1992, he ran successfully for the Republican nomination in Arkansas' 3rd congressional district to succeed the 26-year incumbent, [[John P. Hammerschmidt]], who retired after thirteen terms in the House. He defeated fellow Republican state Representative, [[Richard Barclay]] of Rogers in Benton County, and then topped the [[Democratic Party|Democrat]] John VanWinkle, an attorney from Fayetteville, in the same general election in which [[Bill Clinton]], the Arkansas governor at the time, unseated [[U.S. President]] [[George Herbert Walker Bush]]. Hutchinson' margin was only 7,500 votes. Hutchinson's victory was attributed to his margin of ten thousand votes in his native Benton County. This race had the second-closest margin in the 3rd, one of the most Republican districts in the South, which Hammerschmidt had represented since January 1967. The only closer race was in 1974, when Bill Clinton came within 6,300 votes of ousting Hammerschmidt. | | Hutchinson served in the Arkansas House of Representatives from 1985 to 1992 from a district including a portion of [[Fort Smith, Arkansas|Fort Smith]]. In 1992, he ran successfully for the Republican nomination in Arkansas' 3rd congressional district to succeed the 26-year incumbent, [[John P. Hammerschmidt]], who retired after thirteen terms in the House. He defeated fellow Republican state Representative, [[Richard Barclay]] of Rogers in Benton County, and then topped the [[Democratic Party|Democrat]] John VanWinkle, an attorney from Fayetteville, in the same general election in which [[Bill Clinton]], the Arkansas governor at the time, unseated [[U.S. President]] [[George Herbert Walker Bush]]. Hutchinson' margin was only 7,500 votes. Hutchinson's victory was attributed to his margin of ten thousand votes in his native Benton County. This race had the second-closest margin in the 3rd, one of the most Republican districts in the South, which Hammerschmidt had represented since January 1967. The only closer race was in 1974, when Bill Clinton came within 6,300 votes of ousting Hammerschmidt. |
| − | The 3rd district reverted to form in 1994, when Hutchinson was reelected with 63 percent of the vote. | + | The 3rd district reverted to form in 1994, when Hutchinson was reelected with 63 percent of the vote. |