Sarah Huckabee Sanders facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sarah Huckabee Sanders
Sanders in 2024
47th Governor of Arkansas
Incumbent
Assumed office January 10, 2023
Lieutenant	Leslie Rutledge
Preceded by	Asa Hutchinson
31st White House Press Secretary
In office July 26, 2017 – July 1, 2019
President	Donald Trump
Deputy	Raj Shah Hogan Gidley
Preceded by	Sean Spicer
Succeeded by	Stephanie Grisham
White House Deputy Press Secretary
In office January 20, 2017 – July 26, 2017
President	Donald Trump
Press Secretary	Sean Spicer
Preceded by	Eric Schultz
Succeeded by	Raj Shah
Personal details
Born	Sarah Elizabeth Huckabee (1982-08-13) August 13, 1982 (age 42) Hope, Arkansas, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Bryan Sanders ​ (m. 2010)​
Children	3
Parents	Mike Huckabee (father) Janet Huckabee (mother)
Residence	Governor's Mansion
Education	Ouachita Baptist University (BA)

Sarah Elizabeth Huckabee Sanders (born August 13, 1982) is an American politician. She is the 47th governor of Arkansas, starting in 2023. Sarah Sanders is the daughter of Mike Huckabee. He was also the governor of Arkansas from 1996 to 2007.

Sanders is a member of the Republican Party. Before becoming governor, she was the 31st White House press secretary. She worked for President Donald Trump from 2017 to 2019. She was the third woman to hold this important job. Sanders also helped with Trump's 2016 presidential election campaign. In 2022, she ran for governor of Arkansas and won. She is the first woman to be governor of Arkansas. She is also the first woman to be governor of a state where her father was also governor. She is currently the youngest governor in the United States.

As press secretary, Sanders was the main spokesperson for the Trump administration. She explained the government's decisions to the public and the media. She often had strong disagreements with reporters. Sanders held fewer press conferences than many past press secretaries.

In June 2019, President Trump announced that Sanders would leave her role. In January 2021, she said she would run for governor of Arkansas. Trump supported her campaign. She won the Republican nomination in May 2022. She then won the general election against Chris Jones and Ricky Dale Harrington.

Sanders has been recognized by Fortune and Time magazines. She was listed in their "40 under 40" lists. She wrote a book called Speaking for Myself, which was a bestseller. She also worked for Fox News Channel and served on the Fulbright board.

Early life and education

Sarah Elizabeth Huckabee was born on August 13, 1982. Her birthplace was Hope, Arkansas. She is the youngest child and only daughter of Mike and Janet Huckabee. She has two older brothers.

After finishing high school at Little Rock Central High School, she went to Ouachita Baptist University. This university is in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. While there, she was elected student body president. She was also active in Republican groups. In 2004, she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. Her main subject was political science, and she also studied mass communications.

Early political career

Huckabee Sanders, center, and her father Mike Huckabee with U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings in 2005

For much of her career, Sanders worked as a political consultant. She was also involved in many political campaigns. She helped with her father's first campaign for the United States Senate in 1992. She said her family was very involved in his campaigns. She helped with tasks like stuffing envelopes and putting up yard signs. Her father said that when she was young, she listened to political discussions. He called her "tough" and "fearless."

Sanders was a field coordinator for her father's 2002 campaign. This campaign was for him to be reelected as governor of Arkansas. She also worked for the U.S. Department of Education. This was during President George W. Bush's time. She helped with congressional affairs. In 2004, she worked on Bush's reelection campaign in Ohio.

Sanders helped start a company called Second Street Strategies in Little Rock. This company provides advice for Republican campaigns. She worked on many national and federal political campaigns. She was also a vice president at Tsamoutales Strategies. She was the national political director for her father's 2008 presidential campaign. She also advised Tim Pawlenty during his 2012 presidential campaign.

Sanders helped with campaigns for both U.S. senators from Arkansas. She managed John Boozman's 2010 campaign. She was a senior adviser for Tom Cotton's 2014 campaign. After her father's 2008 campaign, she became executive director of Huck PAC. She was also the national campaign manager for the ONE Campaign. This is a global group that works to end poverty and diseases. In 2016, she managed her father's presidential campaign. Later, she became a senior adviser for Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign. She handled communications for different groups supporting Trump.

Trump administration

Sanders in 2017 while White House deputy press secretary

After Donald Trump was elected president, Sanders became the deputy White House press secretary. On May 5, 2017, she held her first White House press briefing. She filled in for Press Secretary Sean Spicer. She continued to cover for him at times. She also filled in for Spicer during the time James Comey was dismissed. Her strong support for the Trump administration led to talk that she might replace Spicer.

On July 21, 2017, Sean Spicer announced he would resign. Then, Anthony Scaramucci announced that Sanders would become the White House press secretary. Sanders was the third woman to hold this position. The others were Dee Dee Myers and Dana Perino. Sanders was the first mother to be White House Press Secretary.

Sanders often had a difficult relationship with the press. She was asked many questions about the administration's actions. She defended President Trump's decisions and statements.

Sanders with Rex Tillerson, Jared Kushner, Robert Lighthizer, and Wang Yi in Beijing, China, November 2017

During the 2018–2019 United States federal government shutdown, Sanders explained why the government needed money for a border wall. She said it was important for security.

Sanders with Ivanka Trump, Lauren Gibbs, and Shauna Rohbock at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea

In January 2019, Sanders said on the Christian Broadcasting Network that she believed "God wanted Donald Trump to become president."

President Trump, joined by Netanyahu, Pence, Kushner, and Sanders, signs the proclamation which recognized Israel's 1981 annexation of the Golan Heights, March 2019

On June 13, 2019, President Trump announced that Sanders would leave her job on June 30. During her time, the White House had long periods without formal press briefings.

Mueller report findings

On April 18, 2019, the Mueller report was released. This report was from the Mueller special counsel investigation. The report showed that Sanders had made statements about James Comey that were later found to be different from the facts. She had said that many FBI agents had contacted her to complain about Comey. She later told investigators that this was "a slip of the tongue." She also made statements about when Trump decided to fire Comey.

After a summary of the report was released, Sanders said the findings were a "total and complete exoneration." However, the summary itself stated it "does not exonerate him."

Sanders, President Donald Trump, and other White House staff members at her last appearance as White House press secretary on June 28, 2019

Career after the White House

On August 22, 2019, Fox News announced that Sanders would become a contributor. This meant she would share her opinions on the network. In December 2019, she apologized for a tweet she sent about Joe Biden's stutter.

Governor of Arkansas

2022 gubernatorial election

Final results by county in 2022:

     Sarah Huckabee Sanders

     80–90%
     70–80%
     60–70%
     50–60%
     40–50%

     Chris Jones

     60–70%
     50–60%
     40–50%

On January 25, 2021, Sanders announced she would run for governor of Arkansas. Her father, Mike Huckabee, had held this office before. The next day, Donald Trump supported her campaign. In July 2021, she raised over $9 million for her campaign. This was a record for an Arkansas gubernatorial race. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she promised not to make mask or vaccine mandates.

Sanders easily won the Republican primary election. She then defeated the Democratic candidate, Chris Jones, in the general election. On November 9, 2022, it was announced that she had won. She became Arkansas's first female governor. She is also the first woman to be governor of a state where her father was also governor.

Tenure

Sanders became governor on January 10, 2023. On her first day, she banned the term Latinx from being used by the state government. This decision came after talking with Hispanic leaders and state lawmakers.

On March 31, 2023, Sanders declared a state of emergency in Arkansas. This was after a tornado hit the state. The National Guard was called to help with recovery. Sanders also spoke with President Joe Biden. He promised federal aid for Arkansas.

In October 2023, Sanders signed an executive order. This order aimed to remove certain words from official state documents. These words included "womxn," "birth-giver," and "chestfeeding." The ACLU criticized this order.

On April 5, 2024, Sanders declared a five-day state of emergency. This was before the solar eclipse of April 8. She released $100,000 from a state fund to help with the eclipse response. She also temporarily removed some rules for commercial traffic.

Personal life

Huckabee met Bryan Sanders during her father's 2008 presidential campaign. She was the campaign's field director. Bryan Sanders was hired as a media consultant. They got married in 2010. They have three children.

On June 22, 2018, a restaurant co-owner asked Sanders to leave. This happened in Lexington, Virginia. The co-owner said it was because Sanders worked for the Trump administration. This event became known as the Red Hen restaurant controversy.

Sanders was diagnosed with papillary thyroid cancer in September 2022. She had surgery to remove her thyroid and nearby lymph nodes.

In April 2024, she joined the Daughters of the American Revolution.

Electoral history

See also

In Spanish: Sarah Huckabee Sanders para niños