Could Sarah Huckabee Sanders become Donald Trump’s VP? The youngest US governor and former press sec is ex-Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee’s daughter – and has had a rocky relationship with media
- Sarah Huckabee Sanders was just 13 when her father Mike Huckabee became governor of Arkansas, and to date they are 1 of only 2 father-daughter teams to lead states
- Being part of Trump’s government subjected her to attacks, with columnist David Horsey commenting on her weight in the LA Times in 2017 – she wrote about her haters in 2020 book Speaking for Myself
Sanders not only became the youngest governor of Arkansas at 40, but is also currently the youngest governor in the US. Here’s is what you need to know about the woman who seems born to be in politics.
Politics runs in Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ family
A thirst for politics appears to run in the family, with Sanders being just 13 years old when her father Mike Huckabee became governor of Arkansas. He held the position for more than a decade.
Per People, Kathleen Sebelius and her father John J. Gilligan are the only other father-daughter team to have both led states, with Sebelius being the governor of Kansas from 2003 to 2009, and her father governor of Ohio from 1971 to 1975.
Sanders has remained steadfast in her support of her parents, saying during her first speech as governor that they taught her “principled leadership”.
Although she’s relied on her father’s reputation, her battles as White House Press Secretary saw her relationship with the media decline. The New York Times wrote that her “confrontations with reporters escalated even beyond the norm”, describing how she tried to have a reporter’s White House pass suspended. Sanders also famously did not hold the daily press briefing for 94 days, a long-standing tradition where the press secretary would address the world. When she left office in 2019, many applauded the decision.
Her battle with cancer
