PURELY POLITICAL Sarah
Sarah Huckabee-Sanders was Donald Trump's press secretary; she's now governor of Arkansas and should be on the November '24 GOP ballot as Vice-Presidential nominee.
Sarah Sanders for Vice-President
At this point, Donald J. Trump looks to be this year’s Republican presidential candidate. Any number of things can happen between now and the party’s nominating July convention in Milwaukee, but if Mr. Trump is the chosen candidate, he no doubt has already been smothered with VP advice (not that he takes anyone’s advice). He should, however, take my advice and shut the search down. His smartest selection by far would be Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the one person (other than his wife, Melania), that Mr. Trump could and would take advice from.
Yes, there are other choices that most of us can or could live with, so let’s look at each potential running mate:
South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, who proudly calls herself a farmer and a rancher, served as a member of the South Dakota state house of representatives and as a Republican U.S. Representative from 2011 to 1019 before becoming governor of the state. Her conservative credentials are nearly impeccable. She was written off for a time when she chose to veto early transgender legislation but eventually signed off on it when it read more to her liking. She could be President one day.
S.C. Senator Tim Scott served as a U.S. Representative for two years until resigning when appointed U.S. Senator in January 2013, which is what he has been ever since. He has an infectious smile and is an overall good guy, but I don’t see him as presidential material.
S.C. Representative Nancy Mace has an interesting academic background having attended Trident Technical College, in Charleston, S.C., and The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina; she earned a master’s degree at the University of Georgia, Athens, Ga. She also attended Grady College of Journalism & Mass Communication and has written a book: “In the Company of Men, A Woman at the Citadel.” Ms. Mace is only 47 years old so has time to consider her future but doesn’t have enough accomplishments to brag about yet.
Florida governor Ron DeSantis is a U.S. Navy veteran and a graduate from Yale and attended Harvard. You already know plenty about him and he’d make a fine president. For the moment though, especially since he is and has been a terrific governor and is a resident of the same state as Trump, it wouldn’t be a prudent move to choose Mr. DeSantis as a running mate.
Arizona’s U.S. Senate hopeful Kari Lake is the daughter of a teacher and a nurse and grew up in Iowa as one of nine children. Her career path led her to television where she became an evening news anchor on KASZ Channel 10 in Phoenix, Arizona. She’s good, and I’d vote for Ms. Lake, but her having switched from Republican, to Independent, to Democrat and now back to Republican, worries me. Let’s not go there.
Kentucky Senator Dr. Rand Paul was an ophthalmologist by trade and became a U.S. Senator in 2010. He has also run for President and is a noted libertarian. He’d be an excellent choice, but the Republican nominee should not choose a sitting Senator; there’s too much at stake and the Senate must go GOP.
Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn attended Yale (you shouldn’t hold that against her). Ms. Blackburn also served as a U.S. Marine from 2003 to 2007 whereupon she participated in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Ditto on her Senate career: it’s too valuable to give up.
NY Rep Elise Stefanik has been mentioned as a possible VP, but she really doesn’t have conservative credentials, having attended Harvard, and also having served as a staffer in the George W. Bush administration. She couldn’t help Trump in New York anyway.
So, it’s back to Ms. Huckabee-Sanders, who served as Trump’s press secretary for two years, got married to political consultant Bryan Sanders, had kids (Scarlett, Huck, and George), and now goes by the name of Sarah Huckabee-Sanders. She was elected Governor of Arkansas in 2022; her father, Mike Huckabee, also served as governor of the state (from 1996 to 2007).
There must be something in the water in Arkansas; it’s there that Bill Clinton was elected as Attorney General and then governor before running for president. Mike Huckabee ran unsuccessfully for president and now, his daughter, if chosen as GOP vice-presidential running mate, will likely run for the highest office in the land come 2028.
Sarah served as a senior advisor during Trump’s first run in 2016 and endorsed his latest run for president in November 2023. "The time has come,” she announced in her endorsement statement, “to return to the normal policies of the Trump era which created a safer, stronger, and more prosperous America.”
She’s right about that.
In usual political style, the new governor dismisses any talk of her possible VP candidacy, saying during a CBS interview recently, “Look, I absolutely love the job I have. I think it's one of the best jobs I could ever ask for, and I am honored to serve as governor, and I hope I get to do it for the next seven years.” She’s been governor for a little over a year, and coincidentally is not only the first female governor of Arkansas but is also the youngest governor currently in office in the United States. The idea that she’d turn down the offer of a vice-presidential nomination seems far-fetched, though she would struggle with it because everything about her is real.
As mother of three youngsters, however, Sarah would have a much easier time of juggling her vice-presidential schedule than she probably does now, as Governor.
Plus, she easily settles the “age” problem presented by both Biden and Trump.
Her one-year record is impressive. Ms. Sanders helped overhaul the Arkansas educational system, introduced universal school choice, passed tax cuts (and intends to continue cutting), approved new money on building more prison space, and has made concrete progress in seeing to it that repeat offenders are jailed. Ms. Sanders – after just three months in office – was the GOP’s choice to deliver the Republican response to Joe Biden’s State of the Union address last year.
It’s also good to work with someone whose instincts are solid: Sanders was a senior advisor to Senator Tom Cotton (he won in 2014), and to Senator John Boozman (he won too, in 2010).
Sarah was raised in Pine Bluff and Texarkana and is no Ivy Leaguer: she graduated from Little Rock Central High School and received a BA (mastering in political science with a minor in mass communications) from Ouachita Baptist University.
And all I can add to that is:
Run Sarah Run!
This is complicated because Trump has one term; he is also old. I'm holding out for DeSantis to run in '28 after fortifying Florida for four more. Saunders should stay and fortify Arkansas; governors are important to the country. Therefore, the vice president must understand that "plan" of succession.
Not my original thought, but agree with a military person for Vice President, who clearly understands how war works and can advise Trump. Trump's "diplomacy" backed up with deep knowledge of the military complex is very important with the several enemy threats today.