LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Primaries across the country this year are being seen as a test of former President Donald Trump’s influence on voters and the Republican Party, but in solidly red Arkansas, Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ victory in the GOP primary for governor was no surprise.
At 39, Sanders ran an unprecedented campaign for the job once held by her father, former Gov. Mike Huckabee. Boosted by an early endorsement from Trump and a record-breaking $14 million campaign war chest, Sanders cruised to an easy victory Tuesday night over former talk radio host Francis “Doc” Washburn.
If victorious in November, Sanders would be the first woman elected to the post in Arkansas.
Sanders originally faced stiffer competition for the Republican nomination in the form of the state’s attorney general, Leslie Rutledge, and Lt. Gov. Tim Griffin. Established conservatives with statewide name recognition, Rutledge and Griffin both eventually bowed out of the governor’s race in favor of running for other statewide offices.
Sanders’ focus mainly on national GOP talking points made for an easy target for her primary challengers who accused her of ignoring statewide issues.