Former Trump Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders Reportedly Announcing Gubernatorial Run
A once-prominent member of former President Donald Trump’s administration is reportedly set to announce their campaign to move into the governor’s mansion in Little Rock, Arkansas. Per a Twitter report from The Washington Post‘s Josh Dawsey, Sarah Huckabee Sanders will officially enter The Natural State’s 2022 gubernatorial race on Monday.
Per Dawsey, the 38-year-old — who is considered a “leader in the polls” and a “preferred candidate” — will announce her bid with a video.
Sanders served as White House Press Secretary for two years, assuming the mantle of Trump’s top spokesperson when her predecessor, Sean Spicer, resigned from the post just six months into the former commander-in-chief’s term. In doing so, she became just the third woman to hold the position, following Dee Dee Myers and Dana Perino.
After Sanders’ resignation was announced in June of 2019, Trump praised the efforts of the lifelong Republican while imploring her to consider a gubernatorial run in the future.
“She is a very special person with extraordinary talents, who has done an incredible job!” he tweeted at the time, as relayed by ABC News. “I hope she decides to run for Governor of Arkansas — she would be fantastic. Sarah, thank you for a job well done!”
Her time in the Trump administration was not without controversy, however. She came under fire in 2017 for claiming that “countless” members of the FBI offered their thanks for the president’s firing of then-FBI Director James Comey. She later confessed to Robert Mueller’s team that the comment was “not based on anything” during the Special Counsel’s Russia Investigation. Sanders was also criticized for the infrequent nature of her press briefings.
More recently, she drew criticism following a 2019 Democratic presidential primary debate when she made fun of then-candidate Joe Biden’s stutter. Following an intense backlash, she was forced to issue an apology.
Nevertheless, Sanders was a key figure for much of Trump’s administration. The nation’s former top executive had a strong performance in Arkansas during the 2020 general election, capturing better than 62 percent of the popular vote there.
She’s also the daughter of Mike Huckabee, who served as the state’s 44th governor from 1996 to 2007. In 2005, Governing magazine honored him as one of its Public Officials of the Year. He went on to become a candidate for the GOP’s presidential nomination in both 2008 and 2016 before transitioning to political commentary.
Sanders faces a tough primary field that includes current Lieutenant Gov. Tim Griffin and the state’s Attorney General, Leslie Rutledge. Current Gov. Asa Hutchinson is term-limited and unable to seek reelection.
