Former White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders will run to become governor of Arkansas.

Mrs Sanders, who left the White House in 2019 to return to her home state, plans to announce her bid on Monday, a senior campaign official said.

She is the daughter of former governor Mike Huckabee and had been widely expected to run for office after leaving the White House – with those encouraging her including Donald Trump.

She has been laying the groundwork for a candidacy, speaking to Republican groups around the state.

Mrs Sanders joins an expensive Republican primary that already includes two state-wide elected leaders, Lieutenant Governor Tim Griffin and Attorney General Leslie Rutledge.

The trio are running to succeed incumbent Asa Hutchinson, a Republican who is unable to run next year due to term limits, and no Democrats have announced a bid to run for the seat.

Mrs Sanders, who published a book last year and joined Fox News as a contributor after leaving the White House, will enter the race with a much higher profile than any of the candidates.