On Tuesday, Democrats managed to retain the seat of the governor of New York, which is one of their strongholds, but the elections were fiercely contested, according to American media, while the former spokeswoman for Donald Trump won the seat of the governor of Arkansas.

The outgoing Democratic governor, Kathy Hochhol, who replaced Andrew Cuomo in the summer of 2021 after a sex scandal led to his ouster, defeated Republican Lee Zelden, according to ABC and NBC.

According to partial results published by the New York Times, Democrat Hochhol, 64, of upstate New York, won 55 percent of the vote compared to 45 percent for her 42-year-old Republican challenger, who was backed by Donald Trump.

Before Tuesday's elections, many did not imagine the transition of New York City and the state, which are considered to be the strongholds of the progressive left, from the control of the Democrats to the conservative Republicans.

On the other hand, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, 40, the former spokeswoman for Donald Trump in the White House, was elected governor of Arkansas, which is itself a Republican state, according to US media expectations.

Opinion polls had predicted her victory in this state, where her father, Mike Huckabee, an important figure in American politics, was governor from 1996 to 2007.

During her campaign, Sarah Sanders, 40, criticized President Joe Biden and his "radical left" policies, citing hyperinflation, "open borders" and "a rise in violent crime." She said she was ready "to join the coalition of powerful conservatives who defend our freedom."

When she was a White House spokeswoman, she was frequently asked about Trump's attacks on the media.

She is a mother of three and has spoken several times before journalists, about her family and her faith.

When she left office in the summer of 2019, Donald Trump praised at length the fighting spirit of this "warrior" and emphasized that she would be "fantastic" as Governor of Arkansas.

AFP