Mike Beebe
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
Please help improve this article or section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page. (July 2008) |
 |
This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (September 2007) (Find sources: Mike Beebe – news, books, scholar) |
|
Mike Beebe
|
|
 |
|
|
45th Governor of Arkansas
|
|
|---|---|
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 9, 2007 |
|
| Lieutenant | Bill Halter |
| Preceded by | Mike Huckabee |
|
|
|
| In office 2003 – 2007 |
|
| Governor | Mike Huckabee |
| Preceded by | Mark Pryor |
| Succeeded by | Dustin McDaniel |
|
|
|
| Born | December 28, 1946 Amagon, Arkansas |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Ginger Beebe |
| Residence | Searcy, Arkansas |
| Alma mater | University of Arkansas, Arkansas State University |
| Profession | Lawyer |
| Religion | Episcopalian |
| Military service | |
| Service/branch | United States Army |
| Unit | Reserves |
Michael Dale Beebe (born December 28, 1946)[1] is the current Governor of Arkansas and a member of the Democratic Party. He is the first Democratic Governor of Arkansas since the governorship of Jim Guy Tucker (1992–1996).
Contents |
[edit] Early life
Beebe was born in Amagon, a small town in Jackson County, Arkansas. He was raised by his mother, a waitress, and never met his father. As a child, he moved often with his family. They lived in Detroit, St. Louis, Chicago, Houston and Alamogordo, New Mexico. They returned to Arkansas, and he graduated from Newport High School in 1964. [2]
Beebe received a bachelor of arts degree in political science from Arkansas State University in 1968, where he was a member of Sigma Pi fraternity. He earned a law degree from the University of Arkansas in 1972. Beebe served in the U.S. Army Reserve.
He practiced law in Searcy in White County for ten years after his graduation from law school. In 1982, he was elected to the Arkansas State Senate, where he would serve for 20 years. In 2002, he was elected Arkansas attorney general.
Beebe and his wife, Ginger, have three children.
[edit] Election as governor
On June 14, 2005, Beebe announced his candidacy for the Democratic Party's nomination to run for Governor of Arkansas. Beebe defeated former Republican Congressman and Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) chief Asa Hutchinson as well as the Green Party candidate and an independent candidate in the general election on November 7, 2006, capturing 55 percent of the vote.
Beebe was sworn in as governor on January 9, 2007.[3] He was elected to the Democratic Governors Association Executive Committee for 2008–2009. Beebe and his wife Ginger endorsed New York Senator and former Arkansas First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton's failed bid for the Presidency of the United States.
[edit] Policies as governor
In his official website, Beebe outlines some of the policies he has pursued during his first term. He has outlined a plan for a balanced budget and attempted to cut middle class taxes by slashing in half the percentage of the state's grocery tax and increasing the Homestead Property Tax Credit, which can provide for lowing property taxes.[4]
Beebe has focused heavily on education reform. He has called for an additional $19 million per year to be spent on assisting special needs students and has designed a program that attempts to increase the quality of teachers within Arkansas by providing alternative pay and mentoring to motivate bright students to enter education or young teachers to work in struggling rural schools. Beebe has rejected calls to allow for Social Security private accounts to be established. He has also made plans to phase out the tax on utilities for manufacturers. [5]
He has also outlined a 12-point plan to make health care more accessible and affordable. Some of his proposals include using federal tax credits to make private insurance cheaper, promote the expansion of Medicaid, advocating preventive care to stop health concerns before that grow worse, expanding school health clinics, and using home or community based cares as an alternative to nursing homes. [6]
In September 2008, Beebe's Commission on Global Warming voted 11-10 to adopt a moratorium on new coal plants in Arkansas. [7] It was unclear whether he would support his commission's vote or whether the state legislature would even include it in future legislation.
[edit] Electoral history
| Arkansas Gubernatorial Election 2006 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Democratic | Mike Beebe | 422,198 | 55.3 | ||
| Republican | Asa Hutchinson | 312,644 | 41.0 | ||
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ "ELECTION NEWS & RESULTS Latest Michigan, U.S. Senate & 2008 Presidential Elections Updates" (web). elections.nj.com/. January 2008. http://elections.nj.com/dynamic/external/pre-election/bios/5647.html?SITE=MIGRAELN&SECTION=POLITICS&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT. Retrieved on 2008-01-20.
- ^ http://securingamerica.com/printready/clarkcast_072406.htm
- ^ "Beebe Takes Oath", The Morning News, January 9, 2007.
- ^ http://www.governor.arkansas.gov/gov_biography.html
- ^ http://ontheissues.org/Mike_Beebe.htm
- ^ http://ontheissues.org/Mike_Beebe.htm
- ^ http://www.arkansasnews.com/archive/2008/09/26/News/348079.html
[edit] External links
- Mike Beebe Governor of Arkansas official state website
- Mike Beebe for Governor official campaign website
- Biography at the National Governors Association
- Biography, interest group ratings, public statements, vetoes and campaign finances at Project Vote Smart
- Issue positions and quotes at On The Issues
- Collected news and commentary at The Washington Post
- Follow the Money - Mike Beebe
- 2008 2006 Governor campaign contributions
- 2002 Attorney General campaign contributions
- Mike Beebe at the Encyclopedia for Arkansas
| Legal offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Mark Pryor |
Arkansas Attorney General 2003 – 2007 |
Succeeded by Dustin McDaniel |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Mike Huckabee |
Governor of Arkansas January 9, 2007 – present |
Incumbent |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by Jimmie Lou Fisher |
Democratic nominee for Governor of Arkansas 2006 |
Most recent |
|
||||||||||||||
