Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ nationalizing of a race for Arkansas governor — illustrated by her nasty appearance at CPAC over the weekend — and her avoidance of Arkansas contact inspired me to do a Twitter poll Sunday.

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I asked this question intending a political context, not a personal measure.

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Sanders appears to be the runaway “winner.” My Twitter followers undoubtedly lean toward my political outlook, so I don’t offer this as a measure of the candidates in a Republican primary contest.

But the tilt of the results and the 60-plus comments are interesting. People already have plenty of firm opinions about the two announced Republican candidates for 2024.

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Attorney General Leslie Rutledge has been living here and serving in office for six years. She engages regularly on Arkansas issues (not well, perhaps, but regularly). Since announcing for governor, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, nationally known for her role as Trump spokesperson, has not made herself available for questioning by Arkansans. If she has a thought on the Medicaid expansion, the state surplus, Arkansas public schools, tax policy, justice reform, landlord-tenant law, she has kept it well hidden. She HAS promised to save Arkansas from radical liberals — all 15 of them. Rutledge isn’t much better. Her chief newsmaker so far is a vow to do something about the non-existent threat of transgender women athletes. She is in court trying to throw 300,000 people off Medicaid coverage.

Rutledge also has limited her direct contact with Arkansas reporters, but you can get an answer from her staff on Arkansas topics.

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The respondents to my poll didn’t have much regard for either candidate, but at this point, it seems fair to conclude that many see Huckabee as a Trumportunist. Popular as Trump is, being governor is about more than beating up on immigrants, minorities and poor people and inveighing against socialists. (The biggest socialists in Arkansas, dollar-wise, may be corporate farmers and their multi-billion-dollar government subsidies.)

Some of the poll responses:

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Is there a gubernatorial equivalent Sanders from our history, because Rutledge would be Frank White with boobs.

 

This is honestly the opposite of a Sophie’s Choice. The guards can take them both away and neither will be missed?

 

The question’s too hard to answer, To go with Sarah’s lying rants or, Leslie’s sedition? We’re in bad condition; It’s like getting to choose your own cancer.

 

They’re both so bad that I was considering supporting Tim Griffin. That’s bad.

 

It’s the Sophie’s Choice of Demagogues

 

Hmmm. Syphilis or tuberculosis?

 

Not fair. This is like asking what is worse. Dying in a house fire or dying in a fiery car crash.

 

I can’t stand either one of them. But with Sanders, we will also probably be getting her dad, cuz he is not gonna stay outta things. Soooooooooooo, I would have to go with uggg Rutledge because I can’t stand Mike Suckabee.

 

That’s like do I poke my right eye out or my left eye out.

 

Your third choice is Orval Faubus.

 

In terms of policy they’re probably about the same. I feel like Rutledge at least lives here and would want to stay, whereas Sanders I bet views us as a stepping stone

 

I’m gonna go with Leslie, she’s actually done real damage in the state, Sarah’s still a wannabe.

 

It’s like being asked to choose between an inoperable, malignant brain tumor and advanced pancreatic cancer

 

This is really tough. Leslie is terrible, but also vapid and useless. I think Sarah would be more dangerous because she’s more driven to push her agenda. Leslie is a politician, so she would focus on her reeelction. Sarah would hit the ground running on policy.

 

both bad for Arkansas but Sarah Huckabee is probably the more insidious due to her national infamy

 

Although they are both dumpster fires, LR is complicit in her role to overthrow the government. ShS is a puppet. I can’t definitively say which is worse but I’m leaning toward the person that knows better and chooses evil over good.

 

Sanders is at least smart enough to pretend to care about bipartisanship: might be pressed to govern with some sense of fairness. Rutledge is nakedly partisan to the point of idiocy. Between a smart partisan or a stupid partisan, give me a third choice.

 

Leslie and its not even close. Sanders loses and she just goes back to DC or gets a media career or some cushy lobbying job. Rutledge will continue to do real harm to arkansans for the rest of her life.

 

I think the better question is who would I “accidentally” trip with my cane.

 

Well, one of them did go work for an openly racist administration run by the worst person on the planet and only returned to the state once there was a power vacuum waiting to be filled

 

Which is worse? Getting stabbed in the right leg with a rusty salad fork, or getting stabbed in left leg with a rusty dinner fork?

 

Both. One worked for a traitor and is a confessed liar and the other is Seditious. Sooo, why would you want either one of them???