How Sarah Huckabee Sanders Made History With Her Political Career

You may love or hate Sarah Huckabee Sanders. As Governor of Arkansas and former White House Press Secretary, she has many supporters and critics. As of late 2024, she held a 50% approval rating among Arkansans, though her approval levels vary across party lines, polling particularly well with rural voters without college degrees (via Kasu). 

Sanders is the first female Governor of Arkansas. She was elected in 2022 after defeating Democrat Chris Jones and Libertarian Ricky Dale Harrington Jr. in the race. She recognizes the milestone, telling 5NEWS that she feels a "great sense of responsibility" about it. "But my hope is that I'm not making history for me ... but (that) we're making history for what we accomplished together for the state of Arkansas," she explained. She and her father Mike Huckabee are the first-ever father and daughter to win the same gubernatorial race. 

When her victory was announced, he told Fox News, "She will bring the heart of a mom and that's something that will be different and new." Given that traditional family values are a crucial element of the conservative worldview, it is no surprise that a united family in politics is attractive to Arkansas Republicans. When 5NEWS asked her what kind of weight following her fathers footsteps carry for her, she replied with pride: "You know, my dad is the best governor that Arkansas has ever seen ... So he has set the bar and the expectations very high, so big shoes to fill."

Huckabee Sanders is the first mother to become Governor of Arkansas, as well as the first mother to be the White House Press Secretary. White House Press Secretary has historically been a male-dominated role, and while she wasn't the first woman to serve it, she was the third in history — only DeeDee Myers with President Bill Clinton and Dana Perino in George W. Bush's White House came before her. Sanders was the longest-serving press secretary under Donald Trump, a role that had high turnover during his presidency. Sanders' tenure was nearly two years long: from July 2017 to June 2019. Her predecessor, Sean Spicer, served only six months; Stephanie Grisham, who succeeded her, served for nine months (but never held a single press briefing); finally, Kayleigh McEnany, the last press secretary under Trump, served for less than a year as well. 

Finally, another way in which Sanders has made history has been in a much more controversial manner. By executive order, she banned the teaching of Critical Race Theory in Arkansas schools. The order stated that CRT "emphasizes skin color as a person's primary characteristic" and was deemed divisive by her administration (via Arkansas Governor – Sarah Huckabee Sanders). Similarly, she prohibited gender-affirming medical treatments for trans youth with the Arkansas SAFE (Save Adolescents from Experimentation) Act.