Sarah Huckabee Sanders took her oath of office Tuesday to become the 47th governor of Arkansas, promising to make history and set a conservative path forward for the state.
The day began with Sanders and the other newly-elected executive state officers taking their oaths in the Arkansas House chamber at the capitol building and the full General Assembly watched on.
In her speech to the lawmakers, Sanders laid out her vision for the state, sharing her plans on addressing issues with jobs, crime and education.
The inaugural ceremonies then went outdoors with the public portion of the events on the capitol steps. Sanders and her family were introduced by Sen. John Boozman, and following the invocation, the governor’s three children led the crowd in the Pledge of Allegiance.
Next came more performances, with Arkansas native Collin Raye singing the National Anthem and a rendition of “Go Tell It on the Mountain” from the Ouachita Baptist University choir. The family then made their way to the podium where Sanders took the ceremonial oath of office.
Sanders then gave her inaugural address, again focusing on core conservative topics, like tax cuts and the push against expansions of government. She also spoke out against what she called the “political indoctrination” of children in schools.
After the public ceremonies wrapped up, Sanders then took to issuing a number of executive orders.
Among these were orders putting in a hiring freeze for nearly all state offices, prohibiting topics like critical race theory from being taught in state schools and ban on the app TikTok on any state device.
Other lawmakers around Arkansas were quick to share congratulations with Sanders on her inauguration, with the new governor getting well wishes from much of the Arkansas federal delegation as well as her predecessor, former Gov. Asa Hutchinson.
Sanders finished the day by attending her inaugural ball at the Statehouse Convention Center.
(Story by Miriam Battles, Ozarks First)
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