Sarah Huckabee Sanders Elected 47th Governor of Arkansas, Following in Her Father Mike Huckabee's Footsteps

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Sarah Huckabee Sanders

Sarah Huckabee Sanders is the 47th governor of Arkansas — and the state's first female governor.

In Tuesday's midterm elections, the Republican and former White House press secretary, 40, prevailed in the gubernatorial race against Democrat Chris Jones and Libertarian Ricky Dale Harrington Jr. The Associated Press called the race for Sanders on Tuesday evening.

Sanders will take the reins from fellow Republican Asa Hutchinson, and her victory comes after her father Mike Huckabee served as the state's 44th governor from 1996 to 2007.

They're the rare father-daughter duo to be elected governor in the United States: John J. Gilligan served as the 62nd governor of Ohio from 1971 to 1975, followed by his daughter Kathleen Sebelius as the 44th governor of Kansas from 2003 to 2009.

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After serving as Donald Trump's press secretary from 2017 to 2019 and launching her gubernatorial campaign last January, Sanders quickly broke a state fundraising record, bringing in $4.8 million for her campaign in the first quarter of her candidacy.

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Sanders touted familiar "law and order" rhetoric as she announced her run, referencing last year's attack on the U.S. Capitol building by a mob of Trump supporters. However, she did not mention Trump's role in inciting the riots, for which he was impeached for a second time shortly before.

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"We've seen violence in our streets, at a congressional baseball practice and at our Capitol," Sanders said in her announcement video. "This is not who we are as Americans. To remain free, we must have law and order."

Joe Raedle/Getty Sarah Huckabee Sanders and President Donald Trump in 2019

She also took aim at "cancel culture," which she said would "only further divide and destroy us."

"Everything we love about America is at stake, and with the radical left now in control of Washington, your governor is your last line of defense," Sanders said. "In fact, your governor must be on the front line. So today, I announced my candidacy for governor of Arkansas, and ask for your prayers and support."

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In June 2020, Trump, 76, tweeted that Sanders "is a very special person with extraordinary talents, who has done an incredible job! I hope she decides to run for Governor of Arkansas — she would be fantastic."

Between Sanders' gig as press secretary and her newly-elected position, she worked for Fox News as an on-air contributor in 2019.