On Sept. 1, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders held a big fun party for the University of Arkansas Razorbacks football team at the governor’s mansion. The invitation-only event took place on the eve of the Razorbacks’ first game, with head coach Sam Pittman, three mascots in full costume, the team cheerleaders, and the dance team. She even invited some of the school’s brass section.
According to the Arkansas Times, this little shindig cost the Governor’s Mansion Commission—a publicly funded state department—“at least $13,081.36.” Here’s what you need to throw a $13,000 football party:
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$1,429.22 in gingham-checked tablecloths, purchased from Amazon. You can see one of the tablecloths in the background of this photo that Sanders posted;
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$812.50 in bamboo plates of various sizes and white and red-and-white pompoms;
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$778.50 in flowers, candles and tablescapes from Tanarah Luxe Floral;
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$760 in additional help;
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$733.25 for 2.5 hours of a photo booth;
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$600 for a DJ;
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$500 for balloons from Brooksie Balloons;
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$434.91 for rental of lighted letters spelling out GO HOGS;
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$210 for giant inflatable footballs for decoration;
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$124.92 for 24 junior-size footballs from Five Below.
About a third of the money was spent on food, approaching $4,500, fetching them many of the things (soft pretzels for $203) you might enjoy at a sports-themed function. Keep in mind that the $13,081.36 price tag is only what the Arkansas Times was able to see. There was no alcohol purchased, at least in the receipts obtained, though whether alcohol was served at the party is not clear.
This is just the latest financial scandal for Sanders’ office. Recently, there was also the mysterious tale of how her $19,000 lectern had been put on a state credit card. “Podiumgate,” as it’s called, has enjoyed a long tail as a news story because every subsequent revelation throws more suspicion that Sanders and others have been trying to cover up their profligate spending. She’s had the job for less than a year, and she’s been able to achieve the lowest gubernatorial approval ratings since her dad. That apple fell and rotted right under the tree!
Shortly after Sanders was elected, she wrote, “As long as I am your governor, the meddling hand of big government creeping down from Washington DC will be stopped cold at the Mississippi River.” A few months later, Sanders was asking “big government” for some big money to help manage her state. Sometimes you need the big government to help you out when you seem to spend your state’s revenues willy-nilly.
Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison seems to have said it best:
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We talk about North Carolina non-stop on "The Downballot," so it's only natural that our guest on this week's episode is Anderson Clayton, the new chair of the state Democratic Party. Clayton made headlines when she became the youngest state party chair anywhere in the country at the age of 25, and the story of how she got there is an inspiring one. But what she's doing—and plans to do—is even more compelling. Her focus is on rebuilding the party infrastructure from the county level up, with the aim of reconnecting with rural Black voters who've too often been sidelined and making young voters feel like they have a political home. Plus: her long-term plan to win back the state Supreme Court.
