BENTONVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson hosted his first ideas summit in Bentonville on Wednesday, aimed at tackling national issues.

“America Leads: An Ideas Summit” brought together names like former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Tom and Steuart Walton, former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and Republican nominee for Arkansas governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

The summit covered the topics of education, national security, diplomacy and entrepreneurship. Gov. Hutchinson said he wanted the summit to be a Middle America discussion.

“Bentonville, of course, is a unique place,” Hutchinson said. “It is a showcase place for Arkansas in terms of the industry that comes here, the technology that’s here, and the museums that are here, and so it’s really great to be able to bring people from out of state here.”

Gov. Hutchinson said he hoped the summit would lead the way to tackle issues that impact Americans.

“I want to be a voice for optimism about America, about the leadership role that we play, about solving the challenges of energy production and inflation,” Hutchinson said.

Gov. Hutchinson said his focus is on the midterm elections now, and he’ll have to see what next year brings in terms of a 2024 presidential run.