Republican governors gather in Aspen, joined by Sarah Sanders
Former White House press secretary Sarah Sanders reportedly made an appearance at a retreat for Republican governors and donors in Aspen amid rumors she is considering a bid to be the next governor of Arkansas.
The 36-year-old Sanders, who recently departed her very public role in the White House after three years, appeared Sunday at the start of a two-day retreat in Aspen hosted by the Republican Governors Association, Politico reported.
While at the retreat, she was seen at a dinner hosted by the family of former RGA finance chairman Fred Malek, who died in March.
CBS News quoted a Republican source as saying Sanders got a “lot of support and encouragement” to run for the Arkansas post in 2022 from several governors and donors at the dinner.
Since her departure from the White House, President Donald Trump has publicly urged Sanders to run for governor, tweeting that he hopes she decides to run. He said “she would be fantastic” for the role.
Her father, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, 63, told conservative radio show host Hugh Hewitt that Sanders was still mulling the possibility but, for now, would focus on taking a bit of a breather after her tenure in the White House.
“She doesn’t know. I mean, that’s the honest answer,” Huckabee said. “The truth is, she has not had time to come up for air in the past three years. So she’s going to take some time to get her kids enrolled in school in Arkansas for the fall, go to vacation, just have some downtime, which is something she hasn’t done. And, you know, then she’ll start exploring.”
Twice-elected Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, a Republican, has hit his term limit and cannot run for re-election in 2022.
Politico says that Vice President Mike Pence will speak at the Aspen gathering, which concludes Tuesday.


