Former Trump Press Secretary Announces Candidacy for Governor of Arkansas

Photo Courtesy of Los Angeles Times 

By Anna Harvey

On January 25, former Trump Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced the launch of her campaign for Governor of Arkansas in 2022. If Sanders were to win the 2022 election, this would be her first time in elected office, firmly cementing her position in GOP politics and also becoming the first Trump-era official in office, as well as the first woman governor in Arkansas. 

On her campaign website, Sanders primary cites her experience as a Press Secretary under the Trump administration. She also states that she was a senior advisor to current Senator Tom Cotton in 2014, as well as a campaign manager for current Senator John Boozman in 2010. 

In the nearly 8-minute video detailing why she is running for governor, Sanders describes former President Trump’s visit to soldiers in Iraq and how she bonded with one young soldier who re-enlisted because of Mr. Trump. She also detailed how she was the first White House secretary to require Secret Service protection, recalling the recent attack on the Capitol by Trump supporters and the 2017 attack on Republican lawmakers at a baseball game by a former 2016 Bernie Sanders campaigner.  

In the video, Sanders emphasized her support of law enforcement, Second-Amendment rights, and freedom of religion. She also expressed that she opposed sanctuary cities, the Green New Deal, and big government, stating that she would fight the “radical left” and cancel culture. 

“Everything we love about America is at stake, and with the radical left now in control of Washington, your governor is your last line of defense,” said Sanders. 

Sanders also referenced her father, former Governor Mike Huckabee, in the campaign video. 

“My dad always said, ‘The real test of a leader is not the way you handle the issues you know are coming. It’s rising to the moment in a crisis you could never plan for,’” said Sanders. 

She primarily emphasized the former administration’s achievements and cited her former job numerous times. When describing the types of policies she supported, she voiced an increase in jobs and competitive businesses, lowered state income tax, and new education choices for both parents and those employed within career and technical education (CTE) programs. 

Many of Sanders’s points echoed those found in GOP Republicans “Commitment to America” plan in the fall of 2020, which advocated for increased school choices for parents and restrategizing education options for those in poverty.

The same day that Sanders announced the launch of her campaign, Trump endorsed her, stating in an email, “Sarah Huckabee Sanders is a warrior who will always fight for the people of Arkansas and do what is right, not what is politically correct. Sarah is strong on Borders, tough on Crime, and fully supports the Second Amendment and our great law enforcement officers.”

Sanders currently joins a primary of Lt. Gov. Tim Griffin and Attorney General Leslie Rutledge. All three candidates look to succeed current Republican Governor Asa Hutchinson, who will be unable to return to office next year due to term limits. 

Since Sanders’s campaign launch and Trump’s endorsement, Governor Asa Hutchinson has not released a statement on Sanders’s campaign launch. No Democratic candidates have announced their candidacy for the 2022 election.