Arkansas Governor- Race of the Day

 95 Days Until Election Day

 

Arkansas Governor

 

Status: Republican Incumbent

2024 Presidential Result: Red State (South)

 

Outlook: Safe Republican

 

Arkansas was once solidly dominated southern state by Democrats. Even as much of the rest of the South started shifting red, the Natural State held on a lot of blue, especially at the state level. So much changed though since Bill Clinton has let the White House and since Barack Obama arrived. It is now completely dominated by Republicans and that is unlikely to change anytime soon.

 

Four years ago, Republican Sarah Huckabee Sanders won the Governorship with 63 percent of the vote. She became the state's first female Governor and the youngest one in the nation. Now, soon to be 44 she is running for a second term and many believe she may have national aspirations. Sanders is raising her family in the Govenror's Mansion that she lived in for years as a child and teenager. Her father Mike Huckabee served years as Governor and even her mother once ran for statewide office. The senior Huckabee is now the U.S. Ambassador to Israel. Growing up in politics, Sarah became active at a young age and was involved in her father's two Presidential campaigns. Eventually, she signed up with Donald Trump and received much national notice for her stint as White House Press Secretary. She left that post to run for Governor of her home state, with Trump's support.and prevailed in 2022, despite having a pretty weak resume, beyond being a political operative for others.

 

Shortly before she was elected Governor, Sanders was diagnosed with thyroid cancer but has since recovered. It is also worth nothing that she has lost a decent amount of weight since becoming Governor, which may help her politically. Her father one famously lost a huge amount of weight as Governor, although he did gain some back. 

 

During her time as Governor, Sanders has worked with a Republican dominated legislature to push a staunchly conservative agenda, focusing on a lot of hot button cultural issues that are popular with online MAGA types. In her first year, she faced some controversy over a state purchased lectern that was very expensive. After some outcry, the Arkansas Republican Party agreed to foot the bill. In 2024, Sanders claimed that Vice President Kamala Harris, by then the party's Presidential nominee, was at a disadvantage because she did not have biological children to keep her "humble", as Sanders herself does. My question was which one of the biological children that Donald Trump fathered has kept him humble. What a ridiculous, pandering, political hackish statement by the Governor.

 

In spite of all this, Sanders appears to be a solid favorite to win reelection, although anything resembling a national wave for Democrats could have ripples in all sorts of places. Like four years ago, Sanders will face an African-American male Democrat. There are just not a whole lot of white Democrats left in Arkansas. In an early March primary, State Senator Fred Love took 81 percent against weak opposition.

 

Love is a credible candidate and is making the case that Arkansas is near the bottom of many national categories and should be doing a lot better. A lot of people likely agree with him, but in Arkansas, it does not appear, at least yet, that nearly enough of them are willing to vote for any Democrat at a level that might make this race more worth watching as we head into fall.

 

 

Gubernatorial races predicted thus far: 

2 D, (1 Leans, 1 Tossup), 2 R (1 Safe, I Likely)

 

Totals predicted thus far:

8 D (6 holdover, 1 Leans, 1 Tossup), 10 R (8 holdover, 1 Safe, 1 Likely)