Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders Endorses Trump for President

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, here speaking at the America First Policy Institute Agenda Summit in Washington in July 2022, presented a stark, and searing, juxtaposition between a “new generation of Republican leadership” and the Biden administration in her rebuttal to President Joe Biden’s Feb. 7 State of the Union address. Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders has endorsed former President Donald Trump in his 2024 White House bid, stating that Americans need to choose between the Republican candidate and “crazy” President Joe Biden.

Ms. Sanders—who served as White House press secretary under President Trump—endorsed his bid for the Republican presidential nomination in a statement to multiple media on Nov. 6, just days before she is set to join him at a rally in Florida.

“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,” Ms. Sanders said.

“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,” the Arkansas governor added.

Ms. Sanders’s office later confirmed her endorsement and statement on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The statement marks the first time Ms. Sanders has endorsed President Trump since he announced his 2024 run for the White House in November last year, although Arkansas’s first female governor has previously been an outspoken ally of President Trump, having worked as his press secretary from 2017 to 2019.

President Trump also endorsed Ms. Sanders in her gubernatorial bid in 2022.

The Republican 2024 White House candidate welcomed the Arkansas governor’s endorsement in a separate statement Monday, calling it “an honor.”

President Trump added that he looked forward to having Ms. Sanders appear alongside him during his rally Wednesday in Hialeah, Florida on Wednesday, the same day that the third GOP presidential debate is set to take place in Miami.

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, businessman and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, and Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) have all qualified for the latest debate and will appear on stage Wednesday, according to the Republican National Committee.

President Donald Trump stands with Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who announced that she is stepping down as the White House press secretary, during his rally where he announced his candidacy for a second presidential term at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida, on June 18, 2019. Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Endorsement Is an ‘Honor’

“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,” President Trump said in a statement to CNN on Monday.

Ms. Sanders is the latest person to throw her support behind President Trump after Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) last week announced he was endorsing the leading Republican candidate for president in 2024.

President Trump has also secured endorsements from a string of GOP senators including Sens. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), JD Vance (R-Ohio), Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), and Steve Daines (R-Mont.).

Additionally, the former president is being backed by former Republican Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake, who officially launched her campaign for the U.S. Senate in October, as well as Ms. Sanders’s father, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.

Republican 2024 presidential candidate Larry Elder also suspended his campaign last month and threw his support behind fellow conservative, President Trump.

Meanwhile, Ms. Sanders’s predecessor, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, is also seeking the Republican presidential nomination in 2024 but his campaign has so far failed to gain traction and he did not meet the criteria to appear on stage during the second or third GOP debate.

President Trump is continuing to hold a strong lead over his GOP primary rivals, according to multiple state and national polls, despite his ongoing legal battles.

A recent Quinnipiac University poll had President Trump leading the race with 64 percent support among Republican and Republican-leaning voters, followed by Mr. DeSantis with 15 percent support and Ms. Haley with 8 percent support.

Mr. Scott, Mr. Christie, and Mr. Ramaswamy all had around 3 percent support each, the poll found.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.