LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Attorney General Leslie Rutledge announced Tuesday that she will end her bid for governor of Arkansas and will run for lieutenant governor.
The Lieutenant Governor's race is looking to be one of our larger pools for the 2022 elections. Arkansas's current lieutenant governor, Tim Griffin, is running for Attorney General.
Five other Republicans are looking to take the spot: Lawyer Chris Bequette, Arkansas Surgeon General Greg Bledsoe, State Senator Jason Rapert, former Arkansas Republican Party Chair Doyle Webb, and Washington County Judge Joseph Wood.
On the Democratic ticket is Kelly Krout.
In a tweet, Republican gubernatorial candidate and former press secretary for President Trump Sarah Huckabee Sanders responded by saying, "I look forward to uniting Arkansans behind my vision to grow our economy and create high-paying jobs, increase access to quality education, and deliver bold, conservative reforms that take our state to the top."
Although Sarah Huckabee Sanders is now the sole Republican candidate for Governor, she is vying for the title against Democratic candidates businessman Anthony Bland, nuclear engineer Chris Jones, businesswoman Supha Mays, and businessman James Russell.
Rutledge began her candidacy for governor in the summer of 2020. She has served for the last seven years as the state's attorney general, most recently pushing for legal actions against trans youth and critical race theory in Arkansas sports and schools.
"As Lt. Governor, I will stay on the frontlines fighting for Arkansans’ constitutional rights and protecting our conservative values,” said Rutledge in a statement following the announcement.
"I will work alongside Sarah as Governor to make transformational changes in Arkansas to protect our rights and ensure top notch educational opportunities, lower taxes, and job creation."
Chris Jones, who is running for governor as a Democrat, said his campaign would "love a healthy exchange" with Sanders, but that she "made it clear that she is more focused on division and doing what's best for the connected few and her national reputation."