Sarah Huckabee Sanders elected as Arkansas' first female governor

Former White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders staved off Democrat Chris Jones Tuesday to become Arkansas' first female governor.

The Associated Press called the race for Sanders a half hour after the polls closed in the state.

Sanders, the daughter of former Gov. Mike Huckabee, proposed eliminating the state's sales tax on the campaign trail. Jones said it would be too costly and could lead to increased property taxes.

Jones backed Arkansas teacher unions who rallied for pay raises over the summer. He proposed bumping up starting pay by $10,000 to $46,000 a year. He promised to increase it to $50,000 in his first term.

Sanders revealed a plan called Arkansas Learns that proposed teacher pay increases but did not include a dollar amount.

Gov. Asa Hutchinson is term limited and could not run again.

Republican U.S. Sen John Boozman also won a third six-year term, defeating Democrat Natalie James and Libertarian Kenneth Cates.