When you hear the name “Sarah Huckabee Sanders,” one or more associations may come to mind.
What is surprising, however, is how young she got started.
In fact, her political involvement began when she was 9 years old.
He was first elected in 1998 and then won re-election in 2002.
Her parents had known each other since middle school and married while they were still attending Ouachita in 1974.
Located in Arkadelphia, Arkansas, Ouachita is a small liberal arts school that has just 1,500 students.
Huckabee Sanders would go on to study political science and graduate in 2004.
While she was still in school at Ouachita, she helped her father with his gubernatorial re-election.
However, after graduation, she expanded the breadth of her political connections outside of her immediate family.
Notably, both men won their senate campaigns.
Notably, her husband was working for another candidate until he dropped out of the race.
She kept her maiden name while also taking her husband’s.
After the ceremony, they moved to Little Rock, Arkansas.
They would later have three children together.
She was 38 years old at the time.
She would go on to become Donald Trump’s longest-serving press secretary, holding the role for two-and-a-half years.
Huckabee Sanders was also no stranger to the Trump camp.
She joined his presidential campaign in February 2016, where she took on the role of senior advisor.
After Trump’s win, she would transition to his communications team.
In fact, a former White House official toldPolitico: “I don’t think she’s replaceable.
I don’t think there’s another one out there like her.”
Another possible reason for her departure could arguably have been the stress of the job.
Her successor, Stephanie Grisham, held even fewer briefings … zero, to be exact.
Stephanie held the role for less than a year.
She subsequently underwent a thyroidectomy to remove the entire thyroid gland as well as nearby lymph nodes.
“As governor, I will never quit fighting for the people of our great state.”
As of 2023, the politician is still cancer-free.
Since thyroid cancer can sometimes return many years later, she will likely undergo careful monitoring of her health.
Her doctor also noted that she will need radioactive iodine treatment.
Huckabee Sanders' first full term as governor is slated to end in January 2027.
Both her campaign and inauguration focused heavily on education reform.
According to her gubernatorial campaignwebsite, only 35% of third-grade students in Arkansas read at grade level.
TheAssociated Pressquoted Huckabee Sanders telling voters: “This election is about taking Arkansas to the top.
However, it’s what Huckabee Sanders said toward the end of her speech that raised some eyebrows.
“It’s time for a change.
A new generation of Republican leaders is stepping up,” she said.
“Not to be caretakers of the status quo, but to be changemakers for the American people.”
