Sarah Huckabee Sanders was elected the first female governor of Arkansas Tuesday night, adding to a growing list of women who lead their respective states.
Sanders, a one-time press secretary for former President Donald Trump, easily defeated her Democratic opponent Chris Jones in her predominantly GOP state. Her father, Mike Huckabee, served as governor of Arkansas from 1996 to 2007.
Sanders also made history by being part of the first father-daughter governor duo in the state.
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She succeeds Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who was term-limited and could not run again. He endorsed her bid.
With the win, Sanders will join other female Republican governors such as Kate Ivey of Alabama, Kristi Noem of South Dakota and Kim Reynolds in Iowa.
Female Democratic governors include Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, Janey Mills of Maine and Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan.
Trump publicly encouraged Sanders to run for governor when she left the White House in 2019 to return to Arkansas.
But Sanders was a known figure in the state long before she worked for Trump. She appeared in ads for her father and worked on his campaigns.
She managed Sen. John Boozman’s 2010 election and worked as an adviser to Sen. Tom Cotton’s in 2014.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
