Sarah Sanders projected to win GOP nomination for Arkansas governor

Sanders said at her victory party Tuesday night, "Every single life has value and the most vulnerable among us should be those that we are fighting for and protecting the most. I can assure you that in my administration, that’s exactly what we will do. We will make sure that when a kid is in the womb, they’re as safe as they are in the classroom, the workplace, the nursing home, because every stage of life has value."

Sanders is hoping to replace incumbent Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who is term-limited. She was endorsed in the race by former President Trump, and consistently polled ahead her primary challenger, Francis "Doc" Washburn, a talk show host.

Sanders far outpaced her Republican and Democratic challengers in fundraising, having raised nearly $15 million since her campaign was launched.

Nuclear engineer and ordained minister Chris Jones won the Democratic nomination in Tuesday’s five-person primary. Jones previously headed the Arkansas Regional Innovation Hub, a nonprofit that assists entrepreneurs.

If Sanders, the mother of three, defeats her Democratic opponent in the general election in November, she will become the first female governor in Arkansas history.

Sanders served as White House press secretary in the Trump administration from 2017 to 2019. Her father, Mike Huckabee, served as the governor of Arkansas from 1996 to 2007.

Sanders joked Tuesday night, "When I worked at the White House, nobody ever cheered when I went up to the podium. This is different, but I like it a whole lot better."

Incumbent Arkansas Republican Sen. John Boozman, who also received Trump's endorsement, defeated his primary challengers Tuesday night in his effort to retain his Senate seat.