Sarah Sanders would run for governor of Arkansas

Sarah Sanders, export a document from Donald Trump and whoever was one of her closest associates will run for the post of governor of Arkansas, a senior campaign official told The Associated Press.

Sanders, who left the White House in 2019 to return to his home state, would announce his candidacy Monday, the campaigner said, speaking Sunday evening on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment publicly on it. before the official announcement.

The former White House press secretary launched her campaign less than a week after the end of Trump’s tenure and while the former president awaits impeachment. But Sanders presents himself in a state of strongly conservative tradition, where Republicans view the former president positively..

Sanders, the daughter of former Governor Mike Huckabee, would run for public office after she left the White House, and Trump publicly encouraged her to do so. He prepared the groundwork for his candidacy by speaking to Republican groups in the state.

Sanders joins a costly Republican primaries in which two people in state-elected positions are already competing, Lieutenant Governor Tim Griffin and Attorney General Leslie Rutledge. All three are running to succeed current governor, Asa Hutchinson, a Republican who will not be able to participate next year due to deadlines. No Democrat has announced his candidacy for the post.

Sanders launched his campaign weeks after an attack by Trump supporters on the federal Capitol, which left five dead. More than 130 people have been charged with the uprising, which was intended to stop the certification of President Joe Biden’s election victory over Trump.

Sanders was the first working mother and third woman to serve as the White House press secretary. But she also had doubts about her credibility in her tenure as Trump’s chief spokesman.

During his nearly two years as the president’s chief spokesman, the daily televised press conferences led by the press secretary ended after Sanders collided several times with journalists aggressively asking him about government policy and the investigation. About possible coordination between Trump. campaign and Russia. However, Sanders won the trust of reporters by forging a connection with the media behind the scenes.

Trump’s rocky exit from the presidency is unlikely to affect Sanders in Arkansas much. L.Republicans won statewide and have all of their federal seats, as well as a vast majority in the state legislature.

Between the two, Griffin and Rutledge have raised more than $ 2.8 million in the race, and the primaries could have even more competitors. State senator Jim Hendren, who is also Hutchinson’s cousin, is considering running.

Sanders, who published a book last year and joined Fox News after leaving the White House, is entering the race with a much more famous name than the other candidates. But he remains a mystery on many of the state’s issues, and he has said he doesn’t want to create a distraction from Hutchinson’s plans.