WASHINGTON — Shell-shocked Republicans are looking to Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders for the blueprint on how to resurrect the party after the midterm blowout.
Sanders scored a double-digit win over her Democratic challenger Fred Love even as other GOP strongholds toppled — and did so even while maintaining her longstanding ties to President Trump.
“I had one of the largest margins of victory of any Republican in the country — won by 15 points — so a very clear, decisive win,” she told The Post in an interview this week.
Her explanation for the victory: a focus on kitchen-table issues that matter to her constituents, in a state that ranks 47th in the country in per capita income.
“We’ve cut taxes four times, knocked 25% off the state income tax, returned a billion and a half dollars back to the people of our state. And so I think it wasn’t just oh you’re in a red state but we delivered on things that make a difference in the day-to-day lives of the people in our state,” she said.
“We’ve really focused on not just talking about what we’ve done but showing it,” she said while visiting New York to promote her new book, “Unapologetic: Clarity and Conviction in a World Gone Crazy.”
The former White House press secretary, who has advised Trump on messaging, has used high-profile moments — including her 2023 response to President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address — to draw a contrast between what she calls “normal” ideas and Democratic policies she brands “crazy.”
It’s a message Trump has embraced — and one Republicans could revive as they prepare to take on a Democratic-controlled Congress.
“As Democrats step in, I think you’re about to see a lot of crazy. Just listen to what they’re saying … I could be wrong, but I think they’re going to give us a reason to say, ‘Yeah, they’re crazy.’”
Sanders said her administration has focused on education and access to health care and has promised not to surrender to the “radical left.” She touts state investments in paid maternity leave, incentive bonuses for teachers, rising test scores and school choice — and still calls the Iran war the “right decision,” even though she concedes it affected the election.
Her pitch extends beyond steering money to teachers.
“We have to remember that we’re the party that wants to remove regulation, remove barriers. That we are the party that pushes for individual freedom and individual responsibility. Those two things go hand in hand and it can’t be one or the other,” she said.
Sanders also defended her campaign’s decision to run a TV ad about a welfare “Brad.” It shows a gaming Gen-Zer goofing off while on the dole while touting welfare work requirements – an issue that another famous Arkansan — Bill Clinton — embraced in the 1990s.
She called the GOP criticism “manufactured outrage” and said that “if you are young, able-bodied, and capable of working, you should.”
Sanders reported spending $1.4 million in September – compared with just $24,000 by Love, an Arkansas state senator. Sanders won 54-39%, with Libertarian Colt Shelby drawing 8% of the vote.
Asked about the electoral losses elsewhere in the country, Sanders said Texas Senate candidate Ken Paxton hurt candidates down the ballot. In her own state, Sanders and Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) were both reelected. Cotton defeated Democrat Hallie Shoffner, 51% to 42%.
“When you have such a divided top of the ticket, it impacts everything else,” she said.
She defended the president’s decision to attack Iran, even though polls showed it contributed to the Republican shellacking.
“I think the president is right to stand up for our allies, to stop Iran from having a nuclear weapon, and to punch the bully in the mouth,” said Sanders, who has been mentioned as both a presidential and a vice presidential contender.
Sanders, whose term runs until 2030, said Vice President JD Vance was the Republican front-runner “without a question.”
She was less direct when asked whether she has plans to return to the White House she used to serve by running for president.
“I just won re-election. I think that it is a mistake to immediately rush to what’s next,” she said.
“I love my job, I like what I do, and I think we’re doing really good work in my state and I’m hopeful that I get to keep it for four years. So I want to keep doing what I’m doing and continue to lead in places and on things I think we’re making a big difference.”
