Arkansas Gov. Huckabee Sanders to give Republican response to Biden's State of the Union

Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who served as White House press secretary under Donald Trump, will deliver the Republican response to President Joe Biden's State of the Union address next week, party leaders announced on Thursday.

Huckabee Sanders, who describes herself as a conservative reformer, will speak from the state capital Little Rock after Biden's remarks on Tuesday before a joint session of Congress.

It will be Biden's first State of the Union since Republicans won control of the House of Representatives in November's election.

Both addresses could serve as a primer for the 2024 presidential campaign season as Democrats and Republicans seek to shape public perceptions in front of a large television audience. The federal debt limit, social spending, the war in Ukraine and policing in minority communities are among the biggest topics driving political discourse.

U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, in a joint announcement, heralded Sanders as a rising figure in the party.