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LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas: Sarah Sanders, a former senior spokesperson for Donald Trump and one of his closest aides, is running for governor of Arkansas, a source told the Associated Press on Sunday night (January 24).
Sanders, who left the White House in 2019 to return to his home state, planned to announce his candidacy on Monday, a senior campaign official told the AP on condition of anonymity. The campaign official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly. A formal announcement is expected Monday.
The former White House press secretary is launching her candidacy less than a week after the end of Trump’s presidency and as the former president faces impeachment. But Sanders is also running in a solidly red state where Republicans tend to hug the former president.
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Sanders, daughter of former Gov. Mike Huckabee, was expected to run for office after leaving the White House, and Trump publicly encouraged her to try. She has been laying the groundwork for a candidacy, speaking to Republican groups across the state.
Sanders is joining a costly Republican primary that already includes two elected leaders from across the state, Lt. Governor Tim Griffin and Attorney General Leslie Rutledge. All three are running to succeed incumbent Governor Asa Hutchinson, a Republican who cannot run next year due to term limits. No Democrat has announced an offer to run for the seat.
Sanders launched his offer weeks after a mutiny by Trump supporters on the US Capitol left five dead. More than 130 people have been charged in the insurrection, which was aimed at halting the certification of President Joe Biden’s victory over Trump in last year’s election.
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Sanders was the first working mother and only the third woman to serve as a White House press secretary. But he also faced questions about his credibility during his time as Trump’s chief spokesperson.
During her nearly two-year tenure as Trump’s chief spokesperson, the daily televised briefings led by the press secretary ended after Sanders repeatedly argued with journalists who aggressively questioned her about the administration’s policy and the investigation into possible coordination. between the Trump campaign and Russia.
But Sanders earned the respect of journalists by working behind the scenes to develop relationships with the media.
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Trump’s tumultuous exit from the presidency can do little harm to Sanders in Arkansas. Republicans hold every state and federal seat in Arkansas, as well as a solid majority in both houses of the Legislature.
Griffin and Rutledge together have raised more than $ 2.8 million in the race, which could be even more crowded. Republican State Senator Jim Hendren, who is also Hutchinson’s nephew, is considering running.
Sanders, who published a book last year and joined Fox News as a contributor after leaving the White House, enters the race with a much higher profile than either candidate. But she remains a stranger on many of the state’s biggest problems and has said she doesn’t want to be distracted from Hutchinson’s agenda.
