Sarah Huckabee Sanders to endorse Trump in debate counterprogramming
The Arkansas governor had kept her powder dry for longer than some in Trump world wanted.
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders is set to endorse her one-time boss, former President Donald Trump, later this week, Sanders’ office confirmed. Sanders’ endorsement will come at a rally in Hialeah, Fla. on Wednesday night meant to serve as a counterprograming event for the GOP primary debate taking place that same evening. Trump, for the third time, is skipping participation in the debate.
There had been angst in Trump world over the fact that Sanders, the daughter of former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, had declined to endorse in the primary up until this point. People close to the ex-president felt that he had helped catapult her politically by tapping her to be his White House press secretary and then endorsing her 2022 run for governor.
But in a phone call early this year, Sanders told Trump that she would be holding off on making an endorsement in the race until after her state’s legislative session ended, according to two people familiar with the discussion. Her ongoing neutrality has rankled Trump, who in the months since has racked up endorsements from a handful of other sitting governors.
Sanders, who some Republicans see as a prospective 2028 presidential hopeful, also has a relationship with Ron DeSantis. Last year, she attended a retreat the Florida governor hosted for top donors. And while delivering the GOP’s State of the Union response early this year, the 41-year-old Sanders called for “a new generation of Republican leadership.”
Those moves stoked speculation within GOP circles that Sanders could hold off on endorsing her former boss. But Sanders will put that to rest when she appears with him on Wednesday.
“It’s not a question between right versus left anymore. It’s normal versus crazy, and President Biden and the left are doubling down on crazy,” Sanders said in a statement. “The time has come to return to the normal policies of the Trump era which created a safer, stronger, and more prosperous America, and that’s why I am proud to endorse Donald Trump for President.”
In a separate statement, Trump said: “We had great success in the White House and it’s an honor to have Sarah’s endorsement. I look forward to having her at the big rally in Hialeah this Wednesday.”
The Sanders endorsement was first reported by NBC News.
Those close to Sanders pushed back against the idea that the governor was considering endorsing DeSantis. Sanders, they say, was always planning to support Trump but first wanted to tend to legislative matters in Arkansas. Sanders and Trump have been in touch in recent months, including in a September phone call, according to a person familiar with the discussion.
