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Mike Beebe

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Mike Beebe
45th Governor of Arkansas
Assumed office
January 9, 2007
LieutenantBill Halter
Preceded byMike Huckabee
54th Arkansas Attorney General
In office
2003–2007
GovernorMike Huckabee
Preceded byMark Pryor
Succeeded byDustin McDaniel
Member of the Arkansas Senate
In office
1983–2003
Personal details
Born (1946-12-28) December 28, 1946 (age 77)
Amagon, Arkansas
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseGinger Beebe
Residence(s)Searcy, Arkansas
Alma materUniversity of Arkansas, Arkansas State University
ProfessionLawyer
Military service
Branch/serviceUnited States Army
UnitReserves

Mike Dale Beebe (born December 28, 1946)[1] is the 45th and current Governor of Arkansas, since January 9, 2007. He was re-elected to a second term in 2010. Beebe is a member of the Democratic Party.

Early life, education and career

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 and seven grandchildren.

Governor of Arkansas

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.[3]

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.[4]

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 they grow worse, expanding school health clinics, and using home or community based cares as an alternative to nursing homes.[4]

In September 2008, Beebe's Commission on Global Warming voted 11-10 to adopt a moratorium on new coal plants in Arkansas.[5] It was unclear whether he would support his commission's vote or whether the state legislature would even include it in future legislation.

Political campaigns

2006

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 Administration (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.[6] He was elected to the Democratic Governors Association Executive Committee for 2008–2009.

2010

Beebe was challenged by Republican nominee Jim Keet, a former state legislator from Little Rock. Beebe defeated Keet 64% to 34%[7]

Electoral history

Inauguration, Little Rock, AR. January 9, 2007.
Arkansas Gubernatorial Election 2006
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Mike Beebe 422,198 55.3
Republican Asa Hutchinson 312,644 41.0

References

  1. ^ "ELECTION NEWS & RESULTS Latest Michigan, U.S. Senate & 2008 Presidential Elections Updates". elections.nj.com/. 2008. Retrieved 2008-01-20. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  2. ^ "ClarkCast 016 - The Importance of 2006". Securingamerica.com. 2006-07-24. Retrieved 2010-08-29.
  3. ^ "Biography | Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe". Governor.arkansas.gov. 2007-01-09. Retrieved 2010-08-29.
  4. ^ a b "Mike Beebe on the Issues". Ontheissues.org. Retrieved 2010-08-29.
  5. ^ [1][dead link]
  6. ^ "Beebe Takes Oath", The Morning News, January 9, 2007.
  7. ^ "2010 General Election & Non Partisan Judicial Runoff Election Statewide Results". Arkansas Secretary of State. Retrieved November 15, 2010. {{cite web}}: line feed character in |title= at position 62 (help)
Legal offices
Preceded by Arkansas Attorney General
2003– 2007
Succeeded by
Political offices

Template:Incumbent succession box

Party political offices
Preceded by Democratic nominee for Governor of Arkansas
2006
Most recent

Template:Persondata