Sarah Huckabee Sanders picks up huge endorsements, key Republican opponent drops out of gubernatorial race

Sarah Sanders, the former White House press secretary, has received plenty of endorsements in her bid for Governor of Arkansas, including support from Gov. Asa Hutchinson and numerous state congressional delegates.

Hutchinson, who cannot run again because of term limits, had said Arkansas would be “in good hands” with Sanders as Governor, Hutchinson said in his endorsement on Friday. Hutchinson continued by stating that he has known Sarah Sanders for a number of years and has witnessed her passion and commitment to the state, adding that he was thrilled to endorse her for Governor.

FOX 16 reported that both state senators and all four members of the U.S. House had also endorsed Sanders this week.

Representatives French Hill, Rick Crawford, Steve Womack, and Bruce Westerman said they were proud to endorse Sarah Huckabee Sanders for Governor of Arkansas in a joint statement.

Tom Cotton and John Boozman have also said that Sanders would make an “excellent governor” in a joint statement issued Thursday.

Leslie Rutledge, the Arkansas Attorney General, dropped her candidacy for Governor on Tuesday, clearing the way for Sanders to win the Republican nomination. Rutledge will run for Lieutenant Governor instead.

Although the attorney general has previously criticized Sanders for not having many accomplishments backing up her rhetoric, Rutledge said in a statement that it was time for “Christian conservative leaders to unify.”

In September, Rutledge spoke to The Associated Press, claiming that her opponent had done nothing to combat the liberal left in Washington D.C.  After Rutledge dropped out of the campaign, Sanders complimented her for her leadership.

Mike Huckabee, Sanders’s father, was Governor of Arkansas from 1996 until 2007. He’s been posting on Twitter a lot and his tweets get a lot of attention.