Newt Gingrich and Senator Tim Hutchinson reflect on faith, the Gingrich Revolution, Arkansas politics, and the lessons that shaped a lifetime of public service.
On this episode of Newt’s World, Newt Gingrich welcomes former U.S. Senator Tim Hutchinson to discuss his new book, From Spavinaw to D.C.: A Conservative’s Journey Through Faith, Farm Life, and the Fight for America. Hutchinson reflects on growing up on a farm in Arkansas, the lessons of faith and hard work that shaped his life, and the political awakening that led him toward conservatism.
Their conversation explores Arkansas’s political transformation, the Contract with America, the 1994 Republican Revolution, and Hutchinson’s historic 1996 Senate victory. Hutchinson also shares personal reflections on Congress, Israel, China, golf, family, and why America’s future depends on gratitude, courage, and principled public service.
Listen to the episode below, or scroll down for an edited transcript.
Edited Transcript
This conversation has been condensed and lightly edited for clarity.
Newt Gingrich
I am really pleased to welcome Senator Tim Hutchinson. He is a former member of the U.S. House and U.S. Senate from Arkansas, and in 1996, he made history as the first Republican ever elected by popular vote to the United States Senate from Arkansas.
Tim, welcome and thank you for joining me on Newt’s World.
Tim Hutchinson
Thank you, Speaker. I’m honored to be with you. In that 1996 Senate race, I was regularly attacked for being a foot soldier in the Gingrich Revolution, and I considered it a great honor.
Newt Gingrich
You wrote that you never thought you would write a memoir. What convinced you these stories needed to be told?
Tim Hutchinson
I looked around and saw a country that is highly polarized, where people are exhausted by anger. My story is an “only in America” kind of story. I don’t think it could happen anywhere else.
I wanted something rooted in faith, humility, and the belief that public service can still be honorable. I hope people see the grace that carried me through every chapter of my life.
Newt Gingrich
You grew up dirt poor, but you said you didn’t realize it until adulthood. What did your parents teach you about gratitude and hard work?
Tim Hutchinson
We didn’t have much materially, but we had everything important. We had freedom, family, faith, and hard work. We grew almost everything we ate, and I learned a lot more on that farm than I did in the halls of Congress.
Newt Gingrich
One of my favorite stories in the book is from the 1960 election, when your mother supported Nixon and your father supported Kennedy.
Tim Hutchinson
That conversation made a big impression on me. My mother was a conservative Republican, and my father was a Democrat with a huge heart. They canceled each other out, but they were independent thinkers. That shaped how I thought about politics.
Newt Gingrich
The real turning point for you was Ronald Reagan’s “A Time for Choosing” speech in 1964. Why did that have such an impact?
Tim Hutchinson
I was a teenager watching on a black-and-white television, and I remember thinking, “He is saying what I believe.” I didn’t know how to put it into words, but Reagan did. The next day, I went to Republican headquarters, picked up literature, and started going door to door for Barry Goldwater.
Newt Gingrich
You entered a Republican Party that was still a distinct minority in Arkansas.
Tim Hutchinson
It was. In the Arkansas House, there were only nine Republicans out of 100 members. The change came slowly, through a lot of hard work in the trenches. Arkansas was very Democratic, but also very conservative. Eventually, people realized conservatism no longer equated to being a Democrat.
Newt Gingrich
When you got to Congress, what was that like?
Tim Hutchinson
For a farm kid from Arkansas, it was overwhelming. But I wanted to be a congressman who did more than constituent service. I wanted to make a difference in national policy.
That was the spirit you instilled in us. We didn’t have to be the permanent minority. We had hope that we could change things.
Newt Gingrich
Then in 1996, a phone call changed the course of your life.
Tim Hutchinson
I was happy in the House. I had the only safe Republican seat in Arkansas. But after Mike Huckabee became governor and dropped out of the Senate race, Republicans needed a candidate.
Trent Lott called and made the case. I asked him if he was asking me to give up a safe House seat to run for the Senate in a state that had never elected a Republican senator by popular vote. He said, “Tim, you did not come to Washington to occupy a safe seat. You came to Washington to help change America.”
That got me.
Newt Gingrich
And how did that election go?
Senator Tim Hutchinson
It was a tough year. Bill Clinton was on the ballot and immensely popular in Arkansas. But we pulled even by Labor Day and won convincingly. By my calculations, 15 to 20 percent of people who voted for Clinton also voted for me.
Newt Gingrich
What was it like going from the House to the Senate?
Tim Hutchinson
The institutions are dramatically different. In the House, you build coalitions. In the Senate, one senator can make a big difference. I loved the House, but I came to respect both institutions. Our founders were wise to create a bicameral system.
Newt Gingrich
You describe your trips to Israel as deeply affecting you. What got through to you?
Tim Hutchinson
As a Christian, walking where Jesus walked and seeing the Holy Land had a profound impact. It changed the way I saw Scripture and the world. It also showed me how important congressional travel can be in broadening someone’s understanding of geopolitics.
Newt Gingrich
You were also deeply influenced by your trips to China.
Tim Hutchinson
I had been told free markets would change China. But I didn’t see democratization happening. I saw oppression, especially against Christians. Twenty years later, technology had advanced, but it was being used as a tool of oppression by the communist government.
China is not just a competitor. It is one of our greatest threats.
Newt Gingrich
One personal thing I did not know about you is that you are a passionate golfer.
Tim Hutchinson
I love golf. Some of my best memories are golfing with my father and brothers. Golf can bring people together. You meet people from every walk of life, and there is a camaraderie that comes with the game.
Newt Gingrich
How will you be spending the Fourth of July?
Tim Hutchinson
With my family on Bald Head Island. We’ll watch fireworks, toast America, and be thankful for this great country.
Newt Gingrich
Tim, thank you for joining me. His new book, From Spavinaw to D.C.: A Conservative’s Journey Through Faith, Farm Life, and the Fight for America, is available now.
Tim Hutchinson
It’s been my pleasure. Thanks so much, Speaker.
About the Guest
Former U.S. Senator Tim Hutchinson represented Arkansas in both the House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, becoming the first Republican ever elected by popular vote to the Senate from Arkansas. During his time in Congress, he helped advance welfare reform, education policy, veterans’ healthcare, and child tax credit legislation while serving in Republican leadership. A former history instructor and Baptist pastor, Hutchinson remains active in public policy and recently authored From Spavinaw to D.C.: A Conservative’s Journey Through Faith, Farm Life, and the Fight for America.
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