Donald Trump’s former chief spokeswoman, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, announced she’s running for Arkansas Governor on Monday, stating she’d be “the last line of defense” against the “radical left” in Washington.
What We Know:
- While many Republicans are choosing to distance themselves from the former President amid impeachment trials, Sanders seems to remain loyal to her former boss and the issues he stands for. In a video announcing her 2022 bid, which features multiple pictures of the president, she states, “As governor, I will defend your right to be free of socialism and tyranny, your Second Amendment right to keep your family safe, and your freedom of speech and religious liberty,” adding, “Our state needs a leader with the courage to do what’s right, not what’s politically correct or convenient.”
- Sanders is the daughter of former Gov. Mike Huckabee, who served from 1996 to 2007. She took over as press secretary after Sean Spicer resigned in 2017. Since then, she’s become infamous with the press for defending the president’s agenda and her own misstatements, as well as diminishing several official briefings for the press. At one point, Sanders had not briefed the media for 94 days, more than double the previous longest silence from the Trump administration.
- Weeks before leaving the White House, Sanders had come under fire during the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. It was revealed that she had made up an assertion about the firing of former FBI Director James Comey.
- The day after he was fired, Sanders said during a briefing that “countless” FBI agents had told the White House that they had lost confidence in Comey. However, according to Robert Mueller’s report, she told federal investigators that she had no evidence to back up the claim. Her excuse was that she had a “slip of the tongue.”
According to NBC News, Sanders has been planning on launching her campaign since leaving the White House in 2019. Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson cannot seek re-election in 2022 because of term limits.
