By Liv Ogle, Eagle View Staff

Three candidates are on the Nov. 8 ballot to become Arkansas’ next governor, and the winner is expected to make history. The winner will become either the first woman or the first black man to hold the office of Arkansas governor.

The three candidates are Republican candidate Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Democratic candidate Chris Jones, and Libertarian candidate Ricky Dale Harrington Jr.

Sarah Huckabee Sanders

Sanders, born and raised in southern Arkansas, is a graduate of Little Rock Central High and Ouachita Baptist University. She lives in Little Rock with her husband, Bryan, their children Scarlett, Huck, and George, and their golden retriever, Traveler. Sanders is a former White House Press secretary for Donald J. Trump in 2017 to 2019. Sanders advised Trump on matters from press and communications strategy to personnel and policy. Sanders was the first mom to ever hold the job of White House Press Secretary.

Sanders has previously worked in leadership roles for U.S. senators, governors, and presidential campaigns. In Arkansas, Sanders was a senior adviser to Sen. Tom Cotton in 2014 when he defeated incumbent Democratic Sen. Mark Pryor, and was campaign manager for Sen. John Boozman in 2010 when he defeated incumbent Democratic Sen. Blanche Lincoln. In 2007 and 2008, Sanders helped lead her father, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, to victory in the Iowa caucuses and seven other states as his national political director. Sanders served in the Department of Education during President George W. Bush‘s administration, and was campaign manager of the ONE campaign, a global non-profit founded by U2’s Bono to take action to end extreme poverty and preventable disease, particularly in Africa.

Chris Jones

Chris Jones, the Democratic nominee, has pitched a vision of achieving Arkansas’ promise through “Faith, Hope and Hard Work.” He also has campaigned on spreading P, B & J – Preschool, Broadband and Jobs. Traveling to Arkansas’ 75 counties, Jones has spoken to voters about his desire to expand preschool to all families, [provide affordable broadband for every home, and provide economic development focused on creating high wage jobs. In an article from Axios, the authors noted that, “Jones’ campaign strolls are meant to be representative of ‘walking a mile in your shoes.’” 

Jones is a Arkansas native from Pine Bluff. As a son of two preachers, he has a strong sense of faith that he says has never conflicted with his passion for science. Jones attended Morehouse College on a NASA Scholarship for physics and math. He went on to study at MIT becoming a nuclear engineer and earning a doctorate  in urban planning. After Jones became a minister, he led the Arkansas Regional Innovation Hub allowing him to see firsthand how disparities within Arkansas have gotten worse not better. Jones has said he has faith in Arkansas’s potential and is running to ensure every person in Arkansas has an opportunity to succeed. He is married to Dr. Jerrilyn Jones, an emergency medicine physician and U.S. Air Force combat veteran who served in Afghanistan. They have three daughters.

Ricky Dale Harrington Jr.

Ricky Dale Harrington Jr. grew up in the Ark-La-Tex region and graduated from Jefferson High School in Texas. Harrington also attended Sunset International Bible Institute and missioned in Scotland for two years, where he was an assistant primary school teacher and a caregiver to the elderly. Harrington then moved to Arkansas and attended Harding University, where he also worked at a psychiatric hospital where he gained interest in the inner healthcare system. After he received a bachelor’s of ministry from Harding, he served another two-year mission in China. 

In 2016 he returned to Arkansas and had gotten a position with the Arkansas Department of Correction at Cummins Unit in Pine Bluff as a non-denominational prison chaplain and a treatment coordinator. The experiences Harrington had gave him a new perspective on issues Arkansans face and his concern that healthcare voices are going unheard. This led him to run against Sen. Tom Cotton in the Arkansas 2020 Senate election. Harrington made history by being the first black man to run for Senate in Arkansas and the first Libertarian candidate to gain 33.3 percent of a vote in any race nationwide. 

Harrington now resides in Pine Bluff with his wife Chujie, who is active duty in the US Navy and three young children. Harrington believes in leading by example; having dedicated his life to public service, he is joining the 2022 governor’s race as a servant leader and advocate of liberty, equality, and abundance for all Arkansans.

The three candidates and three write-in candidates are seeking to replace current Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who is term limited and cannot seek another term.