Behind the failing MAGA governor who wants to be Trump's heir

Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who served as President Donald Trump’s press secretary before getting elected as Arkansas governor, is being slammed by one of her state’s most prominent editors-in-chief — and based on opposition from her fellow Republicans, the criticisms may challenge her rumored presidential ambitions.

“If you’re a red-state governor with an eye on 2028 and a prison you want to build has stalled, what do you say after a disappointing primary election?” wrote Arkansas Advocate editor-in-chief Andrew DeMillo on Sunday. “If you’re Sarah Huckabee Sanders, you return to your greatest hits.”

He added, “The Arkansas governor’s 52-minute State of the State address amounted to fan service highlighting stances that appeal to fellow Republicans. She also steered clear of the only proposal she’s made that’s faced serious legislative resistance.”

The proposal in question is an $825 million prison complex including 3,000 new beds in a rural area with no water infrastructure or paved roads. Despite being a Republican like Trump himself, Sanders’ prison is facing staunch opposition from fellow Republicans who say it is wasteful and inefficient. In response she moved to oust two of them, Bryan King and Ronald Caldwell, in subsequent GOP primaries. Despite Sanders’ considerable political clout, those challenges failed.

“From advocating further income tax cuts to repeating her complaints about ‘woke indoctrination’ in schools, Sanders opted against any sweeping new policy initiatives or any fights within her own party,” DeMillo wrote. “Her message to GOP lawmakers as they kicked off the legislative session was simple: Pass my budget so I can call you back to the Capitol to cut taxes.”

It is likely she will get her wish or at least something closely approximating to it, DeMillo added. Despite the scandal associated with her prison, “Sanders is far from a precarious position politically, with a Legislature that’s approved nearly every one of her agenda items,” DeMillo wrote. “Sanders is in a comfortable position for reelection with millions in the bank and avoided a primary challenger despite divisions emerging in her party.”

He added, “And her majority on the state Board of Corrections appears to be clearing the way for her to end the legal battle with the panel over who runs the state prisons.”

Yet DeMillo concluded that while Sanders has not lost Arkansas, she may have lost the White House.

“Already a national figure from her time as President Donald Trump’s press secretary, Sanders is taking the steps you’d expect from someone eyeing a White House bid,” DeMillo observed. “The governor insists that she’s focused on the job as governor. But let’s be clear: governors don’t plan to release books the week after a midterm election and two years before a presidential election just because they like writing.”