MAGA-aligned Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders has been planning since 2024 to build the largest prison in her state in rural Franklin County, where Sanders won 76 percent of the vote in 2022 and where President Trump won 80 percent in 2024. But not all Republicans are on board with the prison proposal.
Two Republican state senators, Bryan King and Ronald Caldwell, are standing in Sanders’ way with their concerns regarding the cost of the 3,000-bed prison ($825 million) and the impact of the development on the area’s roads and water supply.
King wrote on social media with a photoshopped image of Sanders with her hand in a money pot (below): “This mega prison scam has been riddled with lies, deception, and corruption. This mega prison has never been about what’s best for Arkansas but for prison profiteers. Get ready for more schemes and lies.”
This mega prison scam has been riddled with lies , deception , and corruption. This mega prison has never been about what’s best for Arkansas but for prison profiteers . Get ready for more schemes and lies . pic.twitter.com/CIzDy9yDdS
— Bryan B. King (@BryanBKing) February 23, 2026
Both King and Caldwell are running for re-election this year and their GOP opponents in the primary are using King and Caldwell’s disagreement with Sanders (and tangentially with President Trump) in their campaign messages.
Caldwell’s opponent Trey “BoDirt” Bohannan said, “This race is going to come down to who will support Donald Trump,” he added, “and stand with Governor Sanders.” Note: Caldwell said he has voted with the governor “probably 98, 99 percent of the time.”