Sarah Huckabee Sanders, a former White House press secretary for the Trump White House, announced she is running for governor of Arkansas. Sanders is seen above during an appearance on Fox News in 2019 | Steven Ferdman | Getty Images
Later this week, Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders is scheduled to support her former employer, former President Donald Trump, according to Sanders’ office.
At a rally in Hialeah, Florida, on Wednesday night, Sanders will offer his support. The event is scheduled to counterprogram the GOP primary debate the same evening. For the third time, Trump will not be taking part in the debate.
The fact that Sanders, the daughter of former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, had not yet accepted an endorsement in the primary caused a great deal of stress in the Trump camp. By choosing her to be his White House press secretary and then supporting her bid for governor in 2022, some close to the former president believed he had helped propel her into politics.
However, according to two individuals familiar with the conversation, Sanders informed Trump over the phone early in the year that she would wait to support him until after her state’s legislative session concluded. Her continued impartiality has irritated Trump, who has gained the support of several other governors in the intervening months.
Sanders has a friendship with Ron DeSantis and is seen by some Republicans as a potential presidential candidate in 2028. She went to a retreat that the governor of Florida threw for influential fundraisers last year. Additionally, the 41-year-old Sanders advocated for “a new generation of Republican leadership” at the GOP’s State of the Union address earlier this year.
These actions fueled rumors in Republican circles that Sanders could postpone supporting her former employer. However, Sanders will dispel that when they both appear on Wednesday.
“It’s no longer an issue of left against right. Sanders released a statement saying, “There is normal versus crazy, and President Biden and the left are doubling down on crazy.” “I am delighted to support Donald Trump for president because the time has come to return to the normal policies of the Trump period, which generated a safer, stronger, and more prosperous America.”
“We had great success in the White House, and it’s an honor to have Sarah’s endorsement,” Trump declared in a different statement. I’m excited to see her on Wednesday at the major rally in Hialeah.
NBC News broke the Sanders endorsement first.
Sanders’s allies refuted any notion that the governor was thinking of supporting DeSantis. They claim that although Sanders had always intended to back Trump, his first priority was taking care of Arkansas’s legislative issues. As per an individual acquainted with the conversation, Sanders and Trump have maintained communication in the last few months, which included a September phone conversation.
Race to the 2024 Presidency: Five Republicans Qualify for Third Debate
Five presidential contenders have qualified to take part in Wednesday’s third primary debate in Miami, according to a statement released by the Republican National Committee on Monday.
They include Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, former governors of Florida and South Carolina, Chris Christie of New Jersey, Nikki Haley of South Carolina, and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.
Governor Doug Burgum of North Dakota, who advanced to the previous two debates, and former governor Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas, who took part in the first debate but did not advance to the second, will be absent from the stage.
Mike Pence, the former vice president, withdrew from the Republican race last month after qualifying for the first two debates.
RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel stated in a news release, “We are looking forward to our third debate in Miami, a welcome opportunity for our candidates to showcase our winning conservative agenda to the American people.”
Candidates needed to score 4% in two nationwide polls or one national poll plus two surveys from different early-voting states (Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, and South Carolina) in order to be eligible for the third debate. Additionally, candidates needed to have contacted at least 70,000 distinct contributors, at least 200 of whom were from 20 states or territories.
Haley and DeSantis have the highest stakes among the five contenders who have advanced to the Miami stage. In recent polling, Haley’s popularity has increased significantly but not disproportionately, partly because of her strong debate performances in the past. The Haley campaign claims that the former governor is becoming the “top Trump alternative” in three of the four early primary states, according to a report from campaign manager Betsy Ankney.
For DeSantis, the circumstances are distinct yet significant. The governor of Florida, who ran on a platform of appealing to both anti-Trump GOP primary voters and those who supported him when he first entered the race, has found it difficult to hold onto his early status as the key contender for the Republican nomination against the outgoing president. He gave a subdued performance in the first two discussions. Additionally, his campaign has shifted more resources to Iowa in the hopes that a strong showing in the January caucuses and a breakout performance in the upcoming debates will rekindle some of the early excitement for the Florida governor that preceded his campaign launch. This is because his position in the primary has largely remained unchanged.
At 8:00 p.m., the Miami debate will air. ET on NBC News, and Rumble will provide a webcast of it. The Republican Jewish Coalition and Salem Radio Network are two more debate partners.
“In our partnership with the Republican Jewish Coalition, we are particularly honored to be the first political party to partner with a Jewish organization for a debate. Our candidates will reaffirm the Republican Party’s unwavering support of Israel and the Jewish community on the stage Wednesday night,” McDaniel stated in the press release.
The fourth Republican debate has already been set for December 6 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. To participate in the debate, candidates must meet higher donation and polling standards.
