Sarah Huckabee Sanders credits education agenda for blue wave win

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders credited her education agenda with helping her defy a sweeping blue wave in the 2026 midterms, defending free school breakfasts after Bill Maher questioned why such programs are labeled socialism only when Democrats offer them.

“We focused on issues over the last four years of things that really impacted the day-to-day life of the people that we were elected to serve,” Sanders said during Friday’s episode of “Real Time.”

“I made no secret coming in that education was going to be a top priority, and we have legitimately transformed education in the state of Arkansas.”

GOV SANDERS REVEALS ‘MAJOR BREAKTHROUGH’ ON EDUCATION AS RED STATE POSITIONS ITSELF AS ‘BLUEPRINT’ FOR NATION

Sanders highlighted several measures Arkansas has taken to improve student learning outcomes, including deploying literacy coaches, expanding school choice, raising teacher pay and providing free breakfasts for public school students.

She described the breakfast program as a bipartisan effort to ensure children aren’t trying to learn on an empty stomach.

“But how come it’s only socialism when they do it?” Maher pressed, referring to Democrats.

Sanders drew a distinction between providing meals to schoolchildren and broader government giveaways.

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Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders defended a free breakfast program for Arkansas public schoolchildren, insisting that children cannot learn efficiently while hungry. (iStock)

“There’s a big difference between giving everything away for free and helping kids start out on the right foot,” she said.

“I don’t know that I would say those are the same thing.”

Maher clarified that he supported Huckabee Sanders’ initiative.

Democratic strategist Kaivan Shroff told Digital, “Maher’s question exposes the game pretty cleanly. When Democrats use government to help people, Republicans call it socialism. When Sarah Huckabee Sanders uses government to give every public-school kid free breakfast, it becomes common sense.” 

He added, “What Sanders really proved is that voters are a lot less interested in abstract fights about ‘big government’ than politicians pretend. If government is doing something visible that makes their lives better, they may reward it.” 

The Arkansas Republican’s broader discussion with Maher also focused on her longstanding support for President Donald Trump, with Maher questioning whether her loyalty to the president sometimes conflicts with her own principles.

“It seems like you are policy-wise you diverge from him, but you will never say a bad word or leave any daylight between you and what he does, which is very often different than what you do as governor,” Maher said.

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Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders has made education a central component of her administration, emphasizing school choice and literacy coaches in addition to providing better pay for educators. (Jeffrey Basinger/Newsday RM via Getty Images)

Sanders rebuked any suggestion that she has a “blind loyalty” to the president, stating that many of her policies align with Trump’s, but she also disagrees with him on some issues.

“I certainly support and appreciate a president who gave me an opportunity,” Sanders said.

“Does that mean I agree with everything? No. Does that mean I think he does everything right? No. Neither do I.”

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Sanders, who has served as Arkansas’ governor since 2023, won by 15 points over her Democratic opponent Fred Love earlier this month, overcoming the blue wave that largely swept the U.S. – even in traditionally red or toss-up areas like South Carolina, Mississippi, Iowa, Kansas, Ohio, Texas and Georgia.