LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas. (AP) – Sarah Sanders, the former spokesman for Donald Trump and one of his closest advisers, is running for the Arkansas government, a senior campaign official told the Associated Press.
Sanders, who left the White House in 2019 to return to his home state, planned to announce his offer on Monday, according to the campaign official who spoke on Sunday night on condition of anonymity because they were not allowed to speak publicly before the formal announcement.
The former White House press secretary is launching her offer less than a week after the end of Trump’s presidency and while the former president faces an impeachment trial. But Sanders is also running in a completely red state, where Republicans tend to embrace the former president.
Daughter of former governor Mike Huckabee, Sanders was widely expected to run for office after leaving the White House – and Trump publicly encouraged her to try. She is laying the groundwork for a candidacy, speaking to Republican Party groups across the state.
Sanders participates in a Republican primary face that already includes two elected leaders across the state, Lt. Governor Tim Griffin and Attorney General Leslie Rutledge. The three are running to succeed current governor Asa Hutchinson, a Republican who is unable to run next year due to term limits. No Democrat has announced an offer to run for the seat.
Sanders launched his offer weeks after a riot by Trump supporters at the U.S. Capitol left five people dead. More than 130 people have been indicted for the insurrection, which aimed to prevent certification of President Joe Biden’s victory over Trump.
Sanders was the first working mother and only the third woman to serve as a press secretary for the White House. But she also faced doubts about her credibility during his time as Trump’s chief spokesman.
During his nearly two-year term as Trump’s chief spokesman, daily televised briefings led by the press secretary ended after Sanders repeatedly fought with reporters who questioned her aggressively about administrative policy and the investigation into possible coordination between the campaign. Trump and Russia. But Sanders has earned the respect of reporters by working behind the scenes to develop relationships with the media.
Trump’s tumultuous departure from the presidency could do little harm to Sanders in Arkansas. Republicans hold all Arkansas state and federal seats, as well as a solid majority in both chambers of the legislature.
Griffin and Rutledge together raised more than $ 2.8 million in the race, which can be even more crowded. Republican Senator Jim Hendren, who is also Hutchinson’s nephew, 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 contest with far greater visibility than any of the candidates. But she remains unknown on many of the state’s biggest issues and said she doesn’t want to be distracted from Hutchinson’s agenda.