Less than a month after being sworn in, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R-AR) will deliver the Republican response to President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address, allowing the party to showcase a young female leader juxtaposed with the first octogenarian president.
At 40, Sanders is half Biden’s age. Republicans weren’t shy about highlighting the difference. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy noted she was the “youngest governor in America,” the “first female governor in Arkansas history,” and the “first father-daughter governance in history.” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell added, “I am excited for the nation to hear from Governor Sanders on Tuesday and witness a sharp contrast with this exhausted and failing Administration.
“Some might say that the choice signals that Gov. Sanders is a ‘rising star,’” said Robert Coon, a GOP strategist in Arkansas. “I would argue that she has already established herself as a star with Republicans on the national stage both serving as press secretary to the president and most recently by shattering fundraising records in her campaign for governor of Arkansas.”
Sen. Marco Rubio’s political career survived his response to Obama’s 2013 State of the Union. But it remained most memorable for his awkward break to sip water. Sanders rode her reputation for jousting with the Jim Acostas of Washington all the way to the governor’s mansion in Little Rock, winning 63% of the vote in November.
“Unlike many party politicos that might fancy themselves to have a national profile, Sarah Huckabee Sanders is a household name among Republican voters across the country,” Coon said. “Republicans know her as someone with strong conservative convictions and as someone who won’t back down in the face of criticism or pressure.”