LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) – Sarah Sanders, Donald Trump’s former chief spokeswoman and one of his closest aides, is running for governor of Arkansas, a senior campaign official told The Associated Press.
Sanders, who left the White House in 2019 to return to her home state, planned to make her bid public Monday, according to the campaign official who spoke Sunday night on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak in public before the formal announcement.
The former White House press secretary launches her bid less than a week after the end of Trump’s presidency and as the former president gets an indictment. But Sanders also runs into a solid red state where Republicans tend to embrace the former president.
Former Gov. Sanders Mike Huckabee’s daughter was widely expected to return to office after leaving the White House, and Trump has publicly urged her to take a stand. She laid the foundation for a candidate and spoke to IDP groups in the state.
Sanders joins a costly Republican primary that already includes two government-elected leaders, Lieutenant Governor Tim Griffin and Attorney General Leslie Rutledge. The three are in the process of succeeding the current government, Asa Hutchinson, a Republican who is unable to run next year due to time constraints. No Democrats announced an attempt to run for office.
Sanders launched her bid weeks after a riot by Trump’s supporters at the American Capitol killed five people. More than 130 people have been charged in the uprising, which aimed to stop certifying President Joe Biden’s victory over Trump.
Sanders was the first working mother and only the third woman to serve as White House press secretary. But she also had questions about her credibility during her time as Trump’s chief spokeswoman.
During her nearly two-year tenure as Trump’s chief spokeswoman, the daily briefings on television led by the press secretary ended after Sanders repeatedly quarreled with reporters who aggressively questioned her about administration policy and the investigation into possible coordination between Trump’s campaign and Russia. But Sanders earned reporters’ respect for working behind the scenes to develop relationships with the media.
Trump’s tumultuous resignation from the presidency could do little harm to Sanders in Arkansas. Republicans occupy all of Arkansas’ rural and federal seats, as well as a solid majority in both chambers of the Legislature.
Griffin and Rutledge collectively raised more than $ 2.8 million in the race, which could add even more pressure. Republican Sen. Jim Hendren, who is also a cousin of Hutchinson, is considering a run.
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 any of the candidates. But she remains unknown on many of the biggest issues in the state and said she does not want to deviate from Hutchinson’s agenda.