After serving as White House Press Secretary during the first Trump administration, Sarah Huckabee Sanders was elected as Governor of Arkansas in 2022. The 42-year-old daughter of former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee launched her re-election campaign on Monday with the campaign ad below.
In the video, Sanders says: “I ran for governor because I was tired of Arkansas being ranked at the bottom.” She added: “Now Arkansas is ranked #1 for lowest cost of living, #1 for economic growth, and the #1 state Americans are moving to.” The Governor cites U.S. News & World Report, local news website Talk Business, and Fox News as sources, respectively.
First ad to kick off my re-elect!
— Sarah Huckabee Sanders (@SarahHuckabee) January 14, 2025
Arkansas is ranked #1 for lowest cost of living, #1 for economic growth, and the #1 state Americans are moving to.
We are not just moving in the right direction we are charging boldly ahead! pic.twitter.com/LBBGemsdQ4
Commenters were quick to note that Huckabee Sanders appears to have been very selective with her statistics choices. In May 2024, when U.S. News & World Report — the same publication the Governor proudly cites — released its overall ranking of the best states, Arkansas finished in 45th place, dropping two spots from the previous year. (Louisiana, Arkansas’ southern neighbor, finished last.)
Democratic political scientist Rachel Bitecofer replied with a screenshot of the US News & World Report “Ranking Scorecard” of Arkansas which ranks the state as #49 in Crime & Corrections and #40 in Economy. Bitecofer added: “There are only 50 states Sarah” with a laughing crying emoji.
Note: Bitecofer is a co-founder of Strike PAC, a liberal super PAC with a mission to counter GOP messaging and “force the party to play defense.”
There are only 50 states Sarah 🤣 pic.twitter.com/3MRW8BQYR2
— Rachel Bitecofer 🗽🦆 (@RachelBitecofer) January 14, 2025
Note: Arkansas TV station KARK reported in June about a study released by WalletHub which ranked Arkansas 48 for state economic performance. The Arkansas Economic Development Commission declined to comment on the study via KARK, but did point to other studies that showed economic successes in the state including being ranked #4 for inbound movers in 2023.
