OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Arkansas Republican gubernatorial nominee Sarah Huckabee Sanders revealed some good news on Friday.
The frontrunner to succeed GOP Gov. Asa Hutchison, who is also served as White House press secretary under then-President Donald Trump, said in a statement that she is “cancer-free” after a successful procedure on her thyroid, reports noted.
Sanders, whose father Mike Huckabee also served as governor of The Natural State, confirmed in her statement that she had been treated for thyroid cancer after physicians found the disease during a recent check-up. She said that she underwent surgery to remove her thyroid gland as well as surrounding lymph nodes, adding that her doctor told her she should fully recover 24 hours after the procedure.
“During a check-up earlier this month, my doctor ordered a biopsy on an area of concern in my neck and the test revealed that I had thyroid cancer,” Sanders said in her statement. “Today, I underwent a successful surgery to remove my thyroid and surrounding lymph nodes and by the grace of God I am now cancer-free.
“I want to thank the Arkansas doctors and nurses for their world-class care, as well as my family and friends for their love, prayers, and support. I look forward to returning to the campaign trail soon. This experience has been a reminder that whatever battle you may be facing, don’t lose heart. As governor, I will never quit fighting for the people of our great state,” she added.
— Sarah Huckabee Sanders (@SarahHuckabee) September 16, 2022
In a separate statement, Sanders’ physician, Dr. John R. Sims, M.D., the Head and Neck Oncologic and Microvascular Reconstructive Surgeon at CARTI Cancer Center in Little Rock, noted:
“Sarah is currently recovering from surgery in which we removed her thyroid gland and some of the surrounding lymph nodes in her neck. The surgery went extremely well, and I expect her to be back on her feet even within the next 24 hours. This is a Stage I papillary thyroid carcinoma which is the most common type of thyroid cancer and has an excellent prognosis. While she will need adjuvant treatment with radioactive iodine, as well as continued long term follow up, I think it’s fair to say she’s now cancer free, and I don’t anticipate any of this slowing her down.”
Sanders easily won the GOP primary in May, taking 83 percent of the vote. She was Trump’s first political endorsement when she announced her candidacy Jan. 25, 2021, just days after President Joe Biden was inaugurated.
BREAKING: Sarah Huckabee Sanders wins Arkansas governor's Republican primary race, NBC News projects. https://t.co/wZUuWVQvTP pic.twitter.com/H6AY0QbpS7
— NBC News (@NBCNews) May 25, 2022
“Sarah Huckabee Sanders is a warrior who will always fight for the people of Arkansas and do what is right, not what is politically correct,” Trump said at the time. “Sarah will be a GREAT governor and she has my Complete and Total Endorsement!”
The Daily Wire notes:
She smashed the state record for fundraising during the primary, raking in $9.1 million dollars from more than 67,000 donors by July 2021. In addition to the Trump endorsement, she is also endorsed by current Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, her father, former Governor Mike Huckabee, Arkansas Republican Senators John Boozman and Tom Cotton, all four of Arkansas’ members of the U.S. House, as well as former Vice President Mike Pence, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and Donald Trump Jr.
Sanders will face off against nuclear engineer and minister Chris Jones in the 2022 election.
After casting her vote in May, Sanders took several potshots at the Biden administration.
“I think paying attention to the bad policies and the failures of the Biden administration and the impact that they have on our state is critically important,” she said. “If they continue to fail the way that they have and they continue to, I think, put states in a difficult position, then absolutely, we’re going to call them out and we’re going to continue to talk about that.”
Sanders is expected to best Jones without much difficulty in the historically red state.
“The only thing that could stop Sarah Sanders from being governor of Arkansas is a Martian invasion,” Arkansas Republican strategist Bill Vickery said as he detailed how well Sanders’ campaign has been performing.
Vickery noted that Sanders has a “core connection to voters” given she has been in the public eye since her pre-teen years.
