Supporters of former White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Wednesday announced the launch of a political action committee calling for her to run for Arkansas governor in 2022.
Jarrad Shelton of Nashville, Ark., launched the Draft Sarah Huckabee Sanders For Arkansas PAC to “explore and measure the level of support for and continually promote the potential election of Sarah Huckabee Sanders as Arkansas Governor 2022.”
{mosads}Shelton specifically points to Sanders’s former role in the Trump administration, where she gained broader appeal among conservatives, as boosting her political chances in a state the president won by nearly 27 points in 2016.
“I am so proud of the job Sarah did in the White House,” Shelton said in an email to supporters first obtained by Politico. “She possesses the strength, dignity, and grace under pressure that is missing from so many leaders today; I want to work to show Sarah that Arkansas and America love her, respect her and want her to continue being involved as a leader in this country.”
“Working together, we can show Sarah that the Governor’s Residence is where we need her to be.”
Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) was reelected to a second term in 2018, though term limits will force him from office in early 2023, setting up an open race for his replacement in 2022.
Reports have surfaced that Sanders, who signed on as a Fox contributor last week, has been giving thought to running for governor in the state, a position her father Mike Huckabee held from 1996 until 2007. She fueled further speculation that she was giving thought to a campaign this week when she rolled out a campaign-style website on Monday.
President Trump has been vocal in his support of a gubernatorial bid by Sanders, pushing her to run when he announced her departure from the White House.
“She is a very special person with extraordinary talents, who has done an incredible job! I hope she decides to run for Governor of Arkansas – she would be fantastic,” he tweeted in June.