Sanders Re-elected Arkansas Governor as Medicaid Expansion Fate Looms
Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders won a second term as Arkansas governor, defeating Democrat Fred Love and Libertarian Colt Shelby. Her new term, beginning in January alongside the legislative session, will confront the future of Arkansas's Medicaid expansion program covering nearly 209,000 residents, after the Trump administration rejected the state's renewal request this summer because the program doesn't meet a new federal law's cost-neutrality requirement. Arkansas has requested a two-year extension while Sanders says talks are underway on "the best path forward" without specifying a preferred approach. Sanders also campaigned on touting new Medicaid work requirements, drawing criticism from the NAACP over an ad seen as stereotyping low-income recipients.