One of Sarah Huckabee Sanders' main Arkansas gubernatorial rivals just dropped out of the race

Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
(Image credit: MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Arkansas Lt. Gov. Tim Griffin (R) has reportedly had his hopes set on the state's governorship for a long time, even leaving Congress to pursue that goal, and he officially declared his candidacy for the job, which is opening up in 2022, back in August. But on Monday, he announced he's bowing out and will instead seek to become Arkansas' next attorney general.

In a statement, Griffin said he believes "I can do more for Arkansas" in that capacity, but the early reactions from analysts are that Griffin likely came to the realization that his prospects of defeating former White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who launched her campaign just two weeks ago, in a GOP primary were slim. The race, for the moment, is down to Sanders and Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge, another prominent Republican in the state.

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Tim O'Donnell

Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.