Former White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced her intent to run for governor of Arkansas on Monday.
Sanders released a video on Monday morning officially announcing her bid following reports over the weekend that she planned to jump into the race. She resigned her post in the Trump administration in June 2019.
Sanders began her video with an anecdote of meeting a soldier in Iraq while working under former President Donald Trump. She went on to say the “radical left” has taken control of Washington, D.C., and that state governors are now the “last line of defense.”
“America is great because we are free, but today our freedom and the rule of law are under attack. I was the first White House press secretary to require Secret Service protection because of a credible, violent threat against me. We’ve seen violence in our streets, at a congressional baseball practice and at our Capitol. This is not who we are as Americans,” Sanders says.
“To remain free, we must have law and order and resolve our differences peacefully. The radical left’s solution is to impose government control and censorship from the top down. But their socialism and cancel culture will not heal America, it will only further divide and destroy us,” she continued. “Everything we love about America is at stake, and with the radical left now in control of Washington, your governor is your last line of defense. In fact, your governor must be on the front line, so today I announce my candidacy for governor of Arkansas and ask for your prayers and your support.”
“As governor, I will defend your right to be free from socialism and tyranny, your 2nd Amendment right to keep your family safe, and your freedom of speech and religious liberty. Our state needs a leader with the courage to do what’s right, not what’s politically correct or convenient. I took on the media, the radical left, and their cancel culture – and I won,” Sanders said. “As governor, I will be your voice and never let them silence you.”
I'm in —> https://t.co/8bmfl3ZPgp
Watch ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/khDPEk0orU
— Sarah Huckabee Sanders (@SarahHuckabee) January 25, 2021
The Daily Wire noted the state of the race as Sanders joins two other GOP candidates for governor of Arkansas:
Sanders, the daughter of former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee (R-AR), will be entering the field with high national name recognition and an expected polling edge over other Republican candidates, according to Washington Post journalist Josh Dawson, who first reported on the development in the Arkansas governor’s race. …
Incumbent Governor Asa Hutchinson (R-AR) cannot seek re-election due to term limits. The Associated Press reports that Sanders will be joining a field that already contains two high-profile Republicans in the state, including Lieutenant Governor Tim Griffin and Attorney General Leslie Rutledge.
Rumors over an eventual Sanders run for office have swirled since soon after her departure from the Trump White House. In November 2019, Sanders all but declared that she would run to be governor of Arkansas at some point.
“There are two types of people who run for office,” Sanders said at the time. “People that are called and people that just want to be a senator or governor. I feel like I’ve been called.”
Update note: This article has been expanded after publication to include additional information.