Sarah Huckabee Sanders

Sarah Huckabee Sanders

Republican Party

Governor of Arkansas

Tenure

2023 - Present

Term ends

2027

Years in position

1

Predecessor

Asa Hutchinson

Compensation

Base salary

$158,739

Elections and appointments

Last elected

November 8, 2022

Contact

Official website

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Campaign Instagram

Campaign YouTube

Sarah Huckabee Sanders (Republican Party) is the Governor of Arkansas. She assumed office on January 10, 2023. Her current term ends on January 12, 2027.

Sanders (Republican Party) ran for election for Governor of Arkansas. She won in the general election on November 8, 2022.

Sanders is the daughter of former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R), and she is the first woman elected to this position. She was born in 1982 in Hope, Arkansas. She received a B.A. in political science from Ouachita Baptist University in 2004.

Sanders served in Donald Trump's (R) presidential administration as deputy press secretary from January to July 2017 and as press secretary from July 2017 to June 2019.

Earlier in her career, Sanders held leadership positions on several Republican campaigns, including George W. Bush, Tom Cotton, Mike Huckabee, Tim Pawlenty, and Donald Trump.

Sanders was a consultant for Tsamoutales Strategies from 2011 to 2015, where she worked on marketing campaigns for U2's Bono and several Fortune 500 companies. Sanders later founded her own consulting firm, Second Street Strategies, in February 2016. She was also a Fox News contributor.

Sanders focused her gubernatorial campaign on national-level issues, including the coronavirus pandemic response, immigration, and President Joe Biden’s (D) withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan. When her opponent, Chris Jones (D), criticized Sanders for nationalizing the race, she responded, “You bet I am. Because if you’re not paying attention to what is happening in this country, you’re missing what is going on.”

As governor of Arkansas, Sanders signed legislation that cuts taxes, as well as legislation expanding prisons and stiffening penalties for repeat offenders. Sanders also signed the Arkansas LEARNS Act into law, calling it "the largest overhaul of the state's education system in Arkansas history." The law includes school vouchers, a raise in the starting salary for teachers, and a dual diploma program for high school students learning a trade. The law also repeals the Teacher Fair Dismissal Act to make it easier for school districts to fire teachers due to poor performance.

Biography

Sarah Huckabee Sanders lives in Little Rock, Arkansas. Sanders graduated from Little Rock Central High School. She earned a degree from Ouachita Baptist University. Sanders' career experience includes working as the press secretary for the presidential administration of Donald Trump (R), a founding partner of Second Street Strategies, the campaign manager of Mike Huckabee's 2016 presidential campaign, a senior advisor with Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, a senior advisor with Tim Pawlenty's 2012 presidential campaign, and the national political director of Mike Huckabee's 2008 presidential campaign.

Early career

Early career

Sanders initially worked in politics as a field coordinator for Mike Huckabee (R) in his 2002 Arkansas gubernatorial re-election, as a regional liaison for congressional affairs at the U.S. Department of Education, and as an Ohio field director for George W. Bush's (R) 2004 presidential campaign.

Mike Huckabee presidential campaign, 2008

In 2008, Sanders worked as the national political director for Huckabee's presidential campaign, and, according to the campaign, directed the "Iowa campaign to a landslide upset victory in the Iowa caucuses." A 2007 profile in Time magazine noted that Sanders' time in the 2008 campaign was spent "working up to 90 hours a week, running her father's schedule and event briefings not only in Iowa but in South Carolina and New Hampshire; in addition, she [oversaw] outreach and [acted] as her Dad's surrogate in Iowa." USA Today noted that she advised her father "on everything from debate strategy to tie selection. Father and daughter became close, personally and politically, during regular Wednesday breakfasts while he was governor of Arkansas." After Huckabee withdrew from the race, she became the director of Huck PAC, a political action committee founded "to promote conservative principles and help elect conservative candidates at every level of government."

Arkansas politics

As campaign manager for John Boozman's (R-Ark.) 2010 U.S. Senate race, Sanders worked to position Boozman's opponent as a "solid vote for President Obama" and Boozman as an alternative who "stands up to the Obama Administration’s reckless agenda," according to the campaign's website. During the campaign, Sanders stood in for Boozman—who was then in the House of Representatives—in the first debate of the Republican primary. Sanders insisted that Boozman was unavailable to debate himself because he was "in D.C. fighting against (the Senate health care bill)."

That year, she also married fellow campaign consultant Bryan Sanders, who she met during Mike Huckabee's 2008 presidential campaign in Iowa. Sanders was also named to Time magazine's "40 under 40" in 2010. She told the magazine that the most important issue to her was family: "America needs more fathers taking an active role in their children's lives. Kids who are the victims of broken families are more likely to end up in poverty, rehab, or jail. I'm a Republican, but I respect President Obama for setting the right example and addressing this problem. I hope more people will join him in his efforts."

Tim Pawlenty presidential campaign, 2012

Sanders in a video blog for the Pawlenty campaign in Iowa, July 2011

During the 2012 Republican presidential primary, Sanders joined the campaign for Tim Pawlenty, focusing initially on Pawlenty's Iowa campaign. Of her decision to join Pawlenty's campaign, she said: "I’m delighted to join the Governor and First Lady in Iowa, which holds a special place in my heart … It’s clear to me that Gov. Pawlenty has what it takes to unite the party, unite the country and beat President Obama." At the time of her hiring, in July 2011, Pawlenty was trailing in the Iowa polls. The Los Angeles Times noted that Sanders "fits with Pawlenty’s current all-Iowa, all-the-time strategy" at that point in his campaign.

Consulting work

In addition to her work on elections, Sanders began as a full-time consultant at Tsamoutales Strategies in 2011 and became vice president of the group in January 2014. While there, Sanders worked with the ONE Campaign—founded by U2's Bono—as well as "several Fortune 500 companies," according to the company's website. Sanders left Tsamoutales Strategies in June 2015 and founded her own consulting firm, Second Street Strategies, in February 2016.

In May 2016, Sanders signed on as a senior advisor to Missouri gubernatorial candidate John Brunner (R). At the time of her hiring, The Missouri Times reported that Sanders would "serve as a senior advisor to the campaign, and will be guiding and executing the campaign’s strategy on Faith Voter Outreach."

Mike Huckabee presidential campaign, 2016

Sanders and Alice Stewart speak with Bloomberg about Mike Huckabee's then-potential run for president in January 2015

See also: Mike Huckabee presidential campaign, 2016 Sanders was officially announced as campaign manager for Huckabee's campaign on May 7, 2015. Of Huckabee's candidacy, she told CNN: "As my dad likes to say, 'We're at a great advantage because we've been through this before, and we're at a great disadvantage because we've been through this before.' He's going to have a bigger target on his back." In September 2015, Sanders told the Northeast Ohio Media Group that the Huckabee campaign was "focusing more on what Huckabee did as governor of Arkansas instead of his past as a Baptist preacher."

Huckabee suspended his presidential campaign on February 1, 2016, after receiving 1.8 percent of the votes in the Iowa caucuses.

Donald Trump presidential campaign, 2016

See also: Donald Trump presidential campaign, 2016

On February 25, 2016, CNN reported that the Trump presidential campaign hired Sanders as a senior advisor. In a statement reported in the story, Sanders said the following:

“

I volunteered to join Mr. Trump's campaign because he is a champion of working families; not Washington-Wall Street elites. ... What makes Mr. Trump my choice for president is he will break the grip of the donor class on our government and make it accountable to working families again.

”

On February 27, 2016, Sanders spoke with CNN about Trump's appeal and his supporters. She said, "I keep hearing all these pundits and people from the media and other politicians talking about how bad Donald Trump is for America and, in particular, how bad people are that support Donald Trump. My thing is that they're not bad for America, they are America." CNN also noted, "Sanders said Washington is being controlled by donors and special interests and believes Trump is the only presidential candidate who can go there and fix it."

Comments on women voters

After winning the primary election in New York, Trump criticized Hillary Clinton for her approach to campaigning. He said, "I think the only card she has is the women’s card. Frankly, if Hillary Clinton were a man, I don’t think she would get 5% of the vote." In response to criticism over Trump's statement Sanders told ABC News, "I think he [Trump] is pointing out something, frankly, Bernie Sanders' campaign has been talking about for months -- that Hillary Clinton's biggest thing that she's running on is the fact that she's a woman. ... The person that is playing the woman card is Hillary, not Donald Trump."

Role expansion

According to The Hill, Sanders' role expanded in September 2016 to involve communications for coalitions with the Trump campaign. The site reported that she would "still do on-air surrogate appearances, but [would] also be responsible for communications for coalitions for the Republican nominee's campaign." Bloomberg reported that she would work specifically with "faith leaders, gun rights supporters, military groups, and other voter coalitions."

Donald Trump presidential administration

See also: Donald Trump White House staff

Deputy press secretary

Sanders joined Trump's presidential administration near the end of the transition of power. She was named the deputy assistant to the president and deputy press secretary on January 19, 2017. In May 2017, Sanders stepped in for press secretary Sean Spicer when Spicer was away on Naval Reserve duty. During that time, Sanders handled press conferences related to Trump's firing of James Comey as FBI director.

Promotion to press secretary

On July 21, 2017, press secretary Sean Spicer resigned after Trump appointed Anthony Scaramucci as the White House communications director. That day, Scaramucci promoted Sanders to the position of press secretary. On June 13, 2019, Trump announced she would step down at the end of the month.

Elections

2022

See also: Arkansas gubernatorial election, 2022

General election

General election for Governor of Arkansas

The following candidates ran in the general election for Governor of Arkansas on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R)	63.0	571,105
		Chris Jones (D)	35.2	319,242
		Ricky Dale Harrington Jr. (L)	1.8	16,690
		Jason Tate (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	0
		Dan Nelson (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	0
		Michael Woodard (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	0
		Elvis Presley (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	0

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 907,037
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Governor of Arkansas

Chris Jones defeated Anthony Bland, Jay Martin, James Russell, and Supha Xayprasith-Mays in the Democratic primary for Governor of Arkansas on May 24, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Chris Jones	70.4	66,540
		Anthony Bland	9.6	9,055
		Jay Martin	8.2	7,731
		James Russell	6.8	6,421
		Supha Xayprasith-Mays	5.0	4,725

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 94,472
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Governor of Arkansas

Sarah Huckabee Sanders defeated Doc Washburn in the Republican primary for Governor of Arkansas on May 24, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Sarah Huckabee Sanders	83.1	289,249
		Doc Washburn	16.9	58,638

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 347,887
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Tim Griffin (R)
• Leslie Rutledge (R)
• Leticia Sanders (R)

Libertarian convention

Libertarian convention for Governor of Arkansas

Ricky Dale Harrington Jr. advanced from the Libertarian convention for Governor of Arkansas on February 20, 2022.

		Candidate
✔		Ricky Dale Harrington Jr. (L)

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Campaign themes

2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Sarah Huckabee Sanders did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

Notable endorsements

See also: Ballotpedia: Our approach to covering endorsements

This section displays endorsements this individual made in elections within Ballotpedia's coverage and endorsements scopes.

Notable candidate endorsements by Sarah Huckabee Sanders

Endorsee	Election	Stage	Outcome
Donald Trump  source  (R)	President of the United States (2024)	Primary	–
Bill Milburn  source  (Nonpartisan)	Conway School District, Zone 5 (2023)	General	Lost General
Jennifer Cunningham  source  (Nonpartisan)	Conway School District, At-large (2023)	General	Lost General
Eric Schmitt  source  (R)	U.S. Senate Missouri (2022)	Primary	Won General
John Boozman  source  (R)	U.S. Senate Arkansas (2022)	Primary	Won General
Rebecca Kleefisch  source  (R)	Governor of Wisconsin (2022)	Primary	Lost Primary
Katie Britt  source  (R)	U.S. Senate Alabama (2022)	Primary Runoff	Won General
David McCormick  source  (R)	U.S. Senate Pennsylvania (2022)	Primary	Lost Primary
Greg Abbott  source  (R)	Governor of Texas (2022)	Primary	Won General

Notable ballot measure endorsements by Sarah Huckabee Sanders

Measure	Position	Outcome
Arkansas Issue 2, 60% Supermajority Vote Requirement for Constitutional Amendments and Ballot Initiatives Measure (2022)  source	Support	Defeated
Arkansas Issue 4, Marijuana Legalization Initiative (2022)  source	Oppose	Defeated

Media

Sarah Huckabee Sanders speaking on 2010 U.S. Senate campaign

Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Mike Huckabee's presidential campaign, 2008

Sarah Huckabee Sanders speaks with Arkansas journalist John Brummett, August 2015

Noteworthy events

Possible 2024 Republican vice presidential nominee

See also: Vice presidential candidates, 2024

Media reports have discussed Sanders as a possible Republican vice presidential candidate. Former President Donald Trump (R) became the presumptive Republican presidential nominee on March 12, 2024, and is expected to select a running mate ahead of the 2024 Republican National Convention (RNC), which will take place from July 15 to 18.

In 2020, President Joe Biden (D) announced Vice President Kamala Harris (D) as his running mate six days before the start of the Democratic National Convention (DNC). In 2016, both Hillary Clinton (D) and Trump announced their running mates three days before the DNC and RNC, respectively.

Republican response to the State of the Union address (2023)

See also: Joe Biden's State of the Union Address, 2023

Sanders delivered the Republican Party response to President Joe Biden's (D) 2023 State of the Union address on February 7, 2023. Click here to watch a video of the address. The following text is a transcript of the address:

“	Good evening. I’m Sarah Huckabee Sanders. Being a mom to three young children taught me not to believe every story I hear. So forgive me for not believing much of anything I heard tonight from President Biden. From out-of-control inflation and violent crime to the dangerous border crisis and threat from China, Biden and the Democrats have failed you. They know it. And you know it. It’s time for a change. Tonight, let us reaffirm our commitment to a timeless American idea: that government exists not to rule the people, but to serve the people.  Democrats want to rule us with more government control, but that is not who we are. America is the greatest country the world has ever known because we are the freest country the world has ever known, with a people who are strong and resilient. Five months ago, I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. It was a hard time for our family, particularly for our kids - Scarlett, Huck, and George - but we kept our faith and persevered. Thanks to exceptional doctors here in Arkansas, a successful surgery, and the grace of God, I am cancer-free. Through it all, I couldn’t help but think about my mom. She was 20 years old and in her first year of marriage when she was diagnosed with spinal cancer. The doctors told her she might not live. If she did live, they said she’d never walk again, and if she did walk, she’d definitely never have children. The daughter she was told she’d never have was just sworn in as the new Governor of Arkansas and is speaking to you tonight. Adversity and fear of the unknown can paralyze us, but faith propels us to charge boldly ahead. We can’t stand still in the face of great challenges. You and I were put on this earth for such a time as this to charge boldly ahead. I’ll be the first to admit, President Biden and I don’t have a lot in common. I’m for freedom. He’s for government control. At 40, I’m the youngest governor in the country. At 80, he’s the oldest president in American history.  I’m the first woman to lead my state. He’s the first man to surrender his presidency to a woke mob that can’t even tell you what a woman is. In the radical left’s America, Washington taxes you and lights your hard-earned money on fire, but you get crushed with high gas prices, empty grocery shelves, and our children are taught to hate one another on account of their race, but not to love one another or our great country. Whether Joe Biden believes this madness or is simply too weak to resist it, his administration has been completely hijacked by the radical left. The dividing line in America is no longer between right or left.  The choice is between normal or crazy.  It is time for a new generation of Republican leadership. Upon taking office just a few weeks ago I signed Executive Orders to ban CRT, racism, and indoctrination in our schools, eliminate the use of the derogatory term ‘Latinx’ in our government, repealed COVID orders and said never again to authoritarian mandates and shutdowns. Americans want common sense from their leaders, but in Washington, the Biden administration is doubling down on crazy. President Biden inherited the fastest economic recovery on record. The most secure border in history. Cheap abundant, home-grown energy. Fast-rising wages. A rebuilt military. And a world that was stable and at peace. But over the last two years, Democrats destroyed it all. Despite Democrats’ trillions in reckless spending and mountains of debt, we now have the worst border crisis in American history. As a mom, my heart breaks for every parent who has lost a son or daughter to addiction. 100,000 Americans a year are now killed from drug overdoses, largely from fentanyl pouring in across our southern border. Yet the Biden administration refuses to secure the border and save American lives.  And after years of Democrat attacks on law enforcement and calls to ‘defund the police, violent criminals roam free, while law-abiding families live in fear.  Beyond our border, from Afghanistan to Ukraine, from North Korea to Iran, President Biden’s weakness puts our nation and the world at risk.”And the President’s refusal to stand up to China, our most formidable adversary, is dangerous and unacceptable. President Biden is unwilling to defend our border, defend our skies, and defend our people. He is unfit to serve as commander in chief. And while you reap the consequences of their failures, the Biden administration seems more interested in woke fantasies than the hard reality Americans face every day. Most Americans simply want to live their lives in freedom and peace, but we are under attack in a left-wing culture war we didn’t start and never wanted to fight. Every day, we are told that we must partake in their rituals, salute their flags, and worship their false idols…all while big government colludes with Big Tech to strip away the most American thing there is—your Freedom of speech. That’s not normal. It’s crazy, and it’s wrong. Make no mistake: Republicans will not surrender this fight. We will lead with courage and do what’s right, not what’s politically correct or convenient. Republicans believe in an America where strong families thrive in safe communities. Where jobs are abundant, and paychecks are rising. Where the freedom our veterans shed their blood to defend is the birthright of every man, woman, and child. These are the principles Republican governors are fighting for. And in Washington under the leadership of Senate Republicans and Speaker Kevin McCarthy, we will hold the Biden administration accountable. Down the street from where I sit is my alma mater, Little Rock Central High. As a student there, I will never forget watching my dad, Governor Mike Huckabee, and President Bill Clinton hold the doors open to the Little Rock Nine, doors that forty years earlier had been closed to them because they were black. Today, those children once barred from the schoolhouse are now heroes memorialized in bronze at our statehouse. I’m proud of the progress our country has made. And I believe giving every child access to a quality education - regardless of their race or income - is the civil rights issue of our day. Tomorrow, I will unveil an education package that will be the most far reaching, bold, conservative education reform in the country. My plan empowers parents with real choices, improves literacy and career readiness, and helps put a good teacher in every classroom by increasing their starting salary from one of the lowest to one of the highest in the nation. Here in Arkansas and across America, Republicans are working to end the policy of trapping kids in failing schools and sentencing them to a lifetime of poverty.  We will educate, not indoctrinate our kids, and put students on a path to success.”It’s time for a new generation to lead. This is our moment. This is our opportunity. A new generation born in the waning decades of the last century, shaped by economic booms and stock market busts, forged by the triumph of the Cold War and the tragedy of 9/11. A generation brimming with passion and new ideas to solve age-old problems. A generation moored to our deepest values and oldest traditions, yet unafraid to challenge the present order and find a better way forward. If we seize this moment together, America can once again be the land of the free and home of the brave. During my two and a half years at the White House, I traveled on every foreign trip with the President.”A trip I will never forget was on December 25, 2018. My husband Bryan and I had just cleaned up wrapping paper that had been shoved into every corner of our house thanks to our three kids, when I had to walk out on my own family’s Christmas, unable to tell them where I was going, because the place I’d be traveling to was so dangerous they didn’t want anybody to know that the President was going to be on the ground for even a few hours. We boarded Air Force One in total darkness—there were no lights on the plane, no lights on the runway, our phones and computers shut down and turned in. We were going completely off the grid. Nearly twelve hours later in the pitch-black of the night, we landed in the war-torn part of western Iraq. It was again a similar scene—no lights on the plane, no lights on the runway. The only light you could see was coming from about a mile away in a dining hall where hundreds of troops—who were in the fight against ISIS— had gathered, expecting to celebrate Christmas with senior military leadership from around the region. They had absolutely no idea that the President and First Lady were about to walk into that room. And when they did—it was a sight, and a scene, and a sound I hope I never forget. The room erupted. Men and women from every race, religion, and region, every political party, every demographic you can imagine started chanting in perfect unison over and over and over again, ‘USA, USA, USA.’ It was a perfect picture of what makes our country great. One of the young soldiers yelled from the back, ‘Mr. President, I reenlisted in the military because of you.’ The President said, ‘and son, I am here because of you.’ Shortly after, that young soldier came up to me and said, ‘Sarah, you have a tough job.’ I told him ‘What I do is nothing. You take bombs and bullets. That’s a tough job.’ And in a moment that I know I’ll cherish for the rest of my life, that soldier reached up, and pulled the Brave Rifles Patch he wore on his shoulder and placed it into my hand, a sign of ultimate respect, and said, ‘Sarah, we are in this together.’ Overwhelmed with emotion and speechless, I just hugged him, with tears in my eyes and a grateful heart for our heroes who keep us free. That young man and everyone who has served before him, all of those who serve alongside him, and the thousands we know who will be called upon to serve after him, deserve to know they have a country and community back home doing our part in the fight for freedom. America is great because we are free. But today, our freedom is under attack, and the America we love is in danger. President Biden and the Democrats have failed you. It’s time for a change. A New Generation of Republican leaders is stepping up… not to be caretakers of the status quo, but to be changemakers for the American people. We know not what the future holds, but we know who holds the future in His hands. And with God as our witness, we will show the world that America is still the place where freedom reins and liberty will never die. Thank you. God bless you. And God Bless America.	”
—Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R)

Personal

Sanders is Mike Huckabee's daughter and is married to Bryan Sanders, Huckabee's 2016 media consultant.

See also

• Mike Huckabee presidential campaign, 2016
• Donald Trump presidential campaign, 2016
• Bryan Sanders
• John Boozman
• Tom Cotton

External links

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Candidate

Governor of Arkansas

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Officeholder

Governor of Arkansas

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Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by Asa Hutchinson (R)	Governor of Arkansas 2023-Present	Succeeded by -