governor

COMMENTARY
Celebrate Black History Month with USA flag motif

High schoolers need exposure to ideas in African American studies

BY: - February 2, 2023

As Black History Month begins, our education governor’s Education Department says it’s reviewing an advanced placement course in African American studies that’s being tried out in two Arkansas schools as part of a pilot program in 60 high schools nationwide. The Arkansas Division of Elementary and Secondary Education is asking questions of the nonprofit that […]

Stubbs, Penn picked for military and veterans posts in Sanders administration

BY: - January 4, 2023

Brig. Gen. Jon Stubbs will serve as secretary of the military and Adjutant General of the Arkansas National Guard in the administration of Gov.-elect Sarah Huckabee Sanders, her transition office announced Wednesday. Sanders also announced the nomination of Maj. Gen. Kendall Penn as secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Penn has been adjutant general […]

COMMENTARY

Our new governor must invest in education

BY: - December 7, 2022

Arkansas just made history with the election of Sarah Huckabee Sanders as our first female governor. Her success in her role as governor will depend heavily upon her investment in education. K-12 education issues were a top concern for voters, and her actions on these will be pivotal for our students, families, communities, and the […]

The Arkansas State Capitol dome. (John Sykes/Arkansas Advocate)

Gretchen Conger to be Sanders’ chief of staff

BY: - November 22, 2022

Gretchen Conger will be Gov.-elect Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ chief of staff in the governor’s office, Sanders announced Tuesday. Sanders also announced that she will transfer more than $2.5 million from her 2022 gubernatorial campaign treasury to her 2026 reelection campaign and named campaign manager Chris Caldwell as senior advisor to the reelection campaign. Conger, who […]

The newly renovated Jefferson County Courthouse in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. (Antoinette Grajeda/Arkansas Advocate)

An Arkansas reporter’s election eve travel diary

BY: - November 7, 2022

Advocate Senior Reporter Antoinette Grajeda visited a number of county seats in southern Arkansas on Monday to assess the election environment on the day before Arkansans finish selecting a new governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general, among numerous other federal, state, county and local officials. She tweeted throughout her journey, and here were a few […]

Arkansas gubernatorial candidates debate importance of national politics, media access

BY: - October 21, 2022

Three gubernatorial candidates agreed they want to serve Arkansas, but differed on how much attention should be paid to what’s happening in Washington D.C. during a debate hosted by Arkansas PBS Friday. The hyperpartisanship in national politics is one reason Libertarian Ricky Dale Harrington Jr. said he’s running for Arkansas governor. It’s time to tune […]

Sounding the alarm on extremism, Biden says ‘MAGA Republicans’ pose threat to democracy

BY: - September 1, 2022

President Joe Biden on Thursday issued a warning against what he described as “MAGA Republicans” and extremist threats to the nation, reminding Americans that democracy is not guaranteed. “We have to defend it. Protect it. Stand up for it. Each and every one of us,” Biden said in his remarks, delivered outside Philadelphia’s Independence Hall. […]

COMMENTARY
Sarah Huckabee Sanders will become the first woman governor of Arkansas after winning Tuesday's election. She takes office in January. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

For Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the border is everywhere

BY: - August 30, 2022

Sarah Huckabee Sanders is almost certainly going to be the next governor of Arkansas. Yet her bid for office has been marked almost entirely by appeals to issues of primarily national concern.  Arkansas is often difficult to locate among her talking points. Immigration and national identity, on the other hand, turn up in nearly every […]

How election-denying GOP governors could tilt the 2024 presidential election

BY: - August 29, 2022

Republican candidates who claim that the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump have been nominated for governor in four critical swing states, raising concerns that if elected they could try to sway election results in 2024 and beyond.  In Arizona, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, Republican primary voters elected a candidate who has denied the […]

Arkansas income tax rate changes explained

BY: - August 16, 2022

The Arkansas General Assembly last week convened in special session primarily to enact tax relief.  The law, which easily passed the House and Senate, was billed by proponents as relief for taxpayers in a time of high inflation. Several also referenced the $1.6 billion surplus the state ended with in fiscal 2022. Opponents argued that […]