Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders issued a pointed message to newcomers relocating from traditionally Democratic-leaning states: enjoy the welcome—but don’t bring “crazy left policies” with you.
In a social media post on December 12, 2025, Sanders celebrated a claim that Arkansas ranked No. 1 nationally for inbound movers for a second consecutive year. In the accompanying message and remarks circulated online, she framed the state’s appeal as a product of lower taxes and a “high quality of life,” and argued that people are leaving “blue states” because they want “normal over crazy.” (2Paragraphs)
Sanders’ warning to incoming residents was explicit: “We just want to remind them when they get here, don’t bring the crazy left policies with you, and remember why you left the blue states in the first place,” she said, adding, “Welcome to Arkansas, we’re glad you’re here.” (2Paragraphs)
What the moving data shows
Sanders’ comments landed amid a wave of year-end migration studies that have highlighted Arkansas as a strong inbound destination—though “No. 1” depends on the dataset being used.
Atlas Van Lines’ 2025 Migration Patterns Study—based on Atlas customers’ moves from November 1, 2024 through October 31, 2025—places Arkansas at the top of its inbound list, and notes that 38% of inbound moves into Arkansas went to Bentonville, home to Walmart’s headquarters. (atlasvanlines.com)
Axios, summarizing Atlas’ findings, similarly reported that Arkansas was among the top destinations for inbound moves in 2025 and highlighted Bentonville as a major magnet for arrivals. (Axios)
Atlas also emphasized that overall U.S. mobility remains relatively low, with affordability constraints—including the high cost of homeownership and limited housing inventory—playing a major role in determining who moves and where. (atlasvanlines.com)
Why Sanders’ message resonates with her base
Sanders, a Republican and former White House press secretary, has leaned heavily into culture-war messaging since taking office—frequently presenting Arkansas as a refuge from what she and many national Republicans characterize as “woke” governance. That broader framing has shown up in other policy fights in the state, including her push to reshape education debates and her rhetoric about “indoctrination” in higher education. (AP News)
Her December remarks fit that pattern: they cast migration as not just an economic or lifestyle choice, but a political one—an implicit argument that people moving into Arkansas should support the state’s conservative direction rather than vote for changes resembling the places they left.
The pushback: “How is Arkansas doing in education?”
Online, critics responded by questioning Sanders’ rosy portrayal—especially around education and other quality-of-life measures. (2Paragraphs)
One point often raised in these debates is that Arkansas students have trailed national averages on key measures. For example, Arkansas Times reported that Arkansas’ 2024 performance on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)—a widely cited benchmark for comparing states—showed the state behind the national average in math and reading among elementary and middle school students. (arktimes.com)
Supporters of Sanders’ approach counter that migration is influenced by costs, jobs, and day-to-day livability, and that Arkansas’ economic development—particularly in Northwest Arkansas—has helped pull in newcomers even as the state confronts longer-term challenges in schooling and public services.
What comes next
Whether the “don’t bring left policies” warning changes anything on the ground is unclear. Migration patterns are shaped by housing, employment, and family decisions—and the newcomers themselves span a range of political views, even when relocating from higher-cost coastal regions.
But as Arkansas continues to draw a sizable share of inbound moves in national moving-company studies, the politics around who is arriving—and what they’ll demand from state government—looks likely to remain a central theme in Sanders’ message heading into 2026.
