Sarah Huckabee Sanders is the 2022 Republican gubernatorial candidate.

Sanders’ political experience includes serving as White House press secretary from 2017-19 under former President Donald Trump and senior advisor to Sen. Tom Cotton in 2014. She was also the national political director from 2007-08 during former Gov. Mike Huckabee’s campaign. 

In addition, she worked in the Department of Education during the administration of former President George W. Bush and was campaign manager of the ONE campaign, a global non-profit that works to end poverty and preventable diseases.

If elected, Sanders would be the first woman in Arkansas to serve as governor. 

Sanders grew up in Pine Bluff and Texarkana. She majored in political science and minored in mass communications at Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia. 

“America is great because we are free,” Sanders said in her video where she announced her candidacy. “But today, freedom and the rule of law are under attack. To remain free, we must have law and order and resolve our differences peacefully.”

Sanders has been endorsed by Gov. Asa Hutchinson, U.S. Sen. John Boozman and Sen. Tom Cotton, as well as all four of Arkansas’ U.S. House representatives, Rick Crawford, Steve Womack, French Hill and Bruce Westerman. Trump endorsed her on Jan. 25, the day she announced she was running for governor. 

“With the radical left now in control of Washington, your governor is your last line of defense.”

When she announced her campaign, Sanders said she would fight socialism, defend the Second Amendment and protect freedom of speech and religion. She added she would “stand with law enforcement,” prohibit sanctuary cities and cut off funding from cities that violate immigration laws. 

She also announced she would fight the Green New Deal, reduce the cost and size of government, phase out the state income tax and offer more choices to parents whose students are enrolled in failing schools. 

On Oct. 11, Sanders released her plan to make Arkansas safer. 

“Our state has a serious crime problem,” Sanders said in a campaign press release. “Violent crime is on the rise and deadly, illegal drugs are flooding our communities, which is why as governor, I will close loopholes in our parole system, be an advocate for victims, support our men and women in law enforcement and never defund the police.”

Two days after the press release, numerous state leaders, including Hutchinson, Cotton and Boozman expressed support for Sanders’ plan via Twitter.

“I agree with the approach outlined by Sarah and I expect the next administration will need to put additional resources into prison expansion,” Hutchinson said. 

“Nothing is more important for Arkansas families than public safety,” Boozman added. “(Sarah Huckabee Sanders) knows this and I’m glad to see her thoughtful, multi-faceted approach to move the needle and make Arkansas a better place to live when she’s governor.”

On Oct. 18, Sanders unveiled her education plan, Arkansas LEARNS. The plan prioritizes Literacy, Empowerment, Accountability, Readiness, Networking and School Safety. 

“Right now, only 35% of Arkansas third graders are reading at or above a third grade reading level. We know that if kids are not hitting that most basic benchmark, there is a 70% chance that they’ll have a lifetime in poverty,” Sanders said in the 2022 Arkansas PBS Debate.  

The plan will “improve access to quality pre-K and reading coaches for at-risk children” and provide parents with opportunities to remove their child from a failing school, as well as making school curriculum more transparent. 

Arkansas LEARNS will “reward good teachers with smart incentives like higher pay,” allow soon-to-be teachers to spend their last year gaining classroom experience and offer alternative certification improvements.

It will also allow students more flexibility to pursue internships and apprenticeships and expand high-speed internet capabilities.

Finally, the plan will improve school safety by providing additional resource officers, mental health resources and “training to implement best practices.”

Despite her experience serving as press secretary and managing political campaigns, Sanders has never served in elected office. 

“I know I’m capable of fighting back against the radical left and the crazy bad ideas coming out of Washington, because I’ve been doing it for the past several years,” Sanders said in the 2022 Arkansas PBS Debate. “But we also need a leader, someone who’s not only capable of fighting back against (bad)  policy, but also capable of leading our state forward. I know I’m prepared to step in and be both the fighter and the leader we need.”

When asked about finding common ground with political opponents in the gubernatorial debate, Sanders further discussed her Arkansas LEARNS plan. She said the plan’s improvement of the education system would serve to unify the state. 

During the debate, the candidates were questioned on what their relationship to the media would be like. Throughout her campaign, Sanders has been difficult to get a hold of for official interviews. 

“I’ve heard stories of folks who are frustrated because they can’t hear from my opponent, Sarah Sanders,” said Democratic nominee Chris Jones. “They want to know how she is going to implement the things she talks about and they want to ask the tough questions.”

“Freedom of the press is incredibly important,” Sanders said in response. “But with freedom of the press comes a great deal of responsibility. When they don’t live up to their end of the bargain, it forces some of us to go outside the box. Sometimes you have to go directly to the  people and cut out the middleman and the bias in which they are going to present your message.”

Sanders added that she has engaged with the press and will continue to do so. She did not attend the press conference after the 2022 Arkansas PBS Debate. 

As governor, Sanders wants to phase out the state income tax. She said this process should focus on growing Arkansas’ economy and that the state has an “untapped outdoor economy.” She added that the savings from that growth could be transferred to the taxpayer.

To fight against inflation and high gas prices, Sanders plans to have Arkansans “keep more money in their pocket.” She stated her plan to phase out the state income tax would accomplish this. 

More than 50% of Sanders’ campaign contributions are out-of-state. 

“I don’t apologize for them supporting me all over the country. I have traveled to all 75 counties and I have seen the enthusiasm and the excitement for our message. It is clearly resonating,” Sanders said. 

Sanders did not respond for an interview. Quotes are pulled from the official campaign website, press releases, promotional videos and the 2022 Arkansas PBS Debate.

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