By Steve Brawner

© 2022 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

When you write a syndicated column that annually declares someone the “Arkansan of the Year,” one of the finalists must be the person who becomes the state’s first female elected governor with 63% of the vote, gives voice to the concerns of her supporters, and shatters the glass ceiling for women of all political persuasions – and does it all at the age of 40.

The only problem with naming Sarah Huckabee Sanders was that 2022 really wasn’t her year. 

She basically was elected the moment she announced she was running in 2021, when her presence alone was enough to chase away all the other legitimate contenders in her own party. As a result, the vote Nov. 8 was a formality – a coronation rather than the culmination of a campaign. 

This year, 2023, is when she will really make her mark on Arkansas. That’s when she will enact much of her agenda through a willing Legislature, and when she will begin reshaping state government through her leadership of the executive branch. 

Sanders is moving into the State Capitol office her dad once occupied, and she’s also moving into the Governor’s Mansion where she spent part of her childhood.

She’s taking the place of Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who for eight years has blessed Arkansas with his calm, steady, pragmatic, mature, sober-minded leadership.

Hutchinson’s list of achievements as governor is long. 

– He kept alive the state’s Medicaid expansion program despite its having many opponents in the Legislature. He tweaked it when politically necessary (and to make it better) until it is now woven into the fabric of the state’s health care system. As a result, about 343,000 Arkansans have health insurance through the program.

– He made Arkansas a national leader in computer science education. When he came into office in 2015, only 500 students statewide were taking computer science courses with the help of 50 teachers. This fall, 23,544 students were enrolled in a class, and there are now more than 800 certified teachers

– He navigated a middle ground course through the COVID-19 pandemic that balanced combatting the virus with growing the economy, educating students, and enjoying the blessings of our fleeting lives. His measured, informative daily briefings were an anchor upon which Arkansans could rely during that challenging time.

– He cut income taxes at all levels but also successfully led the effort to pass a permanent half-cent sales tax that will guarantee funding for highways and bridges.

– With a lot of help from federal COVID dollars, his administration and state legislators created a $1.628 billion surplus last fiscal year and a $2.8 billion reserve fund that will help the state weather future economic storms. He also reorganized state government, reducing the number of cabinet-level agencies from 42 to 15.

– He masterfully and tirelessly marketed Arkansas to employers of all types. Under his watch, Arkansas cemented its place as a national leader in industries including the steel industry. Future governors will cut ribbons for manufacturing plants in part because of the groundwork he laid.

– He leaves office with much goodwill within the state and a growing brand outside of it. His national profile has increased thanks to his recent chairmanship of the National Governors Association and because he has been willing to criticize former President Trump’s actions since the 2020 election. He now contemplates his own presidential campaign. It would be a long shot, but it’s credible.

Who is most deserving – the young, incoming governor with star power and great potential, or the steady, outgoing governor whose eight years were marked by great achievements? The one who dominated Arkansas’ electoral politics on her way in, or the one who effectively led state government – and increasingly became a national leader – on his way out?

They both are. Because of the mark they have made, are making and will make in the future, Gov.-elect Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Gov. Asa Hutchinson are the Arkansans of the Year.

Steve Brawner is a syndicated columnist published in 18 outlets in Arkansas. Email him at brawnersteve@mac.com. Follow him on Twitter at @stevebrawner.