About Mike Beebe

View All Your Campaigns
Go to: Mike Beebe for Governor
Help WesPAC Help Democrats Win!
Contribute to Mike Beebe today!

As a state senator and attorney general, Mike Beebe has worked for more than 20 years to represent the people of Arkansas because he believes in Arkansas. He believes that – working together – we can build a healthier, more prosperous future for ourselves, our children and the generations to come.

As he said the day he announced for governor , "You can't come up the way I did and not believe that anything is possible."

Mike Beebe Announcement (Windows Media file)

Beebe was raised by a single parent, a mother who worked to raise her son on a waitress's tips. She taught him the importance of education, and Mike Beebe wants to make the world-class education he received in Arkansas public schools a reality for every child.

Beebe was born in Amagon, Arkansas (Jackson County), in 1946. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Arkansas State University in 1968 and a law degree from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville in 1972, all the while serving his country in the U.S. Army Reserves. Elected to the Arkansas Senate in 1982, Beebe worked for 20 years to achieve fiscal conservatism, to reach across party lines, and to solve problems. In a career that demonstrates a commitment to good government, Mike Beebe repeatedly stresses integrity and accountability.

He announced his candidacy for Governor on June 14, 2005, because he believes in Arkansas, and he believes that we can do better. He knows how to govern and he knows how to lead.

Beebe is currently the 51st Attorney General for the State of Arkansas. As chief law-enforcement officer, his responsibility is to represent the people of the state and to be the guardian of their interests. Beebe and his staff are committed to safeguarding consumers, protecting seniors from abuse and neglect, and developing solutions to problems ranging from upholding criminal convictions to protecting children from predators on the Internet.

In his first two years as Attorney General, Beebe's Consumer Protection Division engaged in enforcement efforts that resulted in judgments or settlements of more than $13.5 million; helped prevent utilities from implementing more than $100 million in rate increases; and disbursed nearly $1 million in individual restitution from antitrust actions against pharmaceutical companies. Beebe filed 978 criminal appellate briefs to ensure that convicted criminals serve their sentences, while, at the same time, providing over $6.8 million in compensation to crime victims. In the area of Medicaid fraud, Beebe's office works hard to protect those who reside in our state's long-term care facilities and has recovered $6,025,664.70 in civil settlements and criminal restitution.

Beebe is committed to promoting policies and enforcing laws that give our state's young people a safe environment and a brighter future. His office serves as the statewide clearinghouse for missing and exploited children, hosts Missing Children's Day and a Child-Safety Fair, and Beebe has created Mentor Arkansas, a program designed to encourage individuals and corporate citizens to participate in the lives of Arkansas' youth.

The Attorney General and his wife, Ginger, have three adult children. Beebe is an active member of Trinity Episcopal Church in Searcy, where he has served as senior warden and member of the vestry.

Mike Beebe: "General Clark and his grassroots support changed the dialogue in the Democratic Party..."

View All Your Campaigns
Go to: Mike Beebe for Governor
Help WesPAC Help Democrats Win!
Contribute to Mike Beebe today!

General Clark and his grassroots support changed the dialogue in the Democratic Party and set the bar for effective grassroots campaigning.   The support of the Clark Volunteers is an important component of the Beebe for Governor campaign.  The energy, enthusiasm, vision and grassroots strength the Clark Volunteers bring to the campaign will be invaluable in electing Attorney General Mike Beebe as the next governor of Arkansas.

The race ahead will likely be one of the most expensive, if not the most expensive in Arkansas history.   That is why I need your help.  Whether you can give $10, 25, $50, $100, $500 or $1,000 – I need your help to win this race.

I hope you will join thousands of others by making a secure online contribution to my campaign for Governor today. Your generous support will go a long way towards making sure your voice is heard in the weeks and months ahead. I hope I can count on your help.

Contribute to Mike Beebe for Arkansas today!

"Mike Beebe believes in Arkansas."

View All Your Campaigns
Go to: Mike Beebe for Governor
Help WesPAC Help Democrats Win!
Contribute to Mike Beebe today!

Mike Beebe believes in Arkansas.

He believes in more and better-paying jobs, affordable and accessible health care and a world-class education for every Arkansas child.   With more than 20-years experience in improving our state, he has the experience and the leadership to make that belief a reality for every Arkansan. 

As our next governor, Mike Beebe will take what is best and what is right about Arkansas and see that it is available to every Arkansan.  

Mike Beebe believes in an Arkansas that:

• Provides health care for its children
• Demands the highest standards of education for both children and teachers
  
• Competes for jobs of the 21st Century, not only with Arkansas's neighbors, but with the nation and the world.

Mike Beebe is a product of Arkansas – our state's public schools, communities and entrepreneurial spirit.   He's been educated in Arkansas, raised a family in Arkansas and built a business in Arkansas.

Beebe believes the sales tax on food must be phased out.  It is the most regressive tax in our state and is one of the most needed areas of tax relief. We can account for the state revenues with the right jobs plan to grow our state's economy. To support the creation of manufacturing jobs, Beebe proposed completely phasing out the tax on utilities for manufacturers.

Mike Beebe’s economic development plan will make Arkansas a full partner in the global economy of the 21st century.

The plan is based on an understanding that two key ingredients in a high performing 21st century economy are an increasingly skilled work force and a diversified economy supported by foundation industries enhanced with world-class research and development.

The success of the Arkansas economy is tied to education, work-force development, home grown enterprise support and development like never before. Arkansas cannot expect to solve its economic problems by nothing more than recruiting industry on the promise of cheap labor.

Likewise, Arkansas cannot afford to simply engage in “bidding wars” with other states or nations for desirable industries. Instead, Arkansas must balance its efforts to recruit industry with an aggressive commitment to the development of companies within the state.

Arkansas must marshal its limited resources and direct them towards those efforts that will yield the best return on investment for the state. Arkansas must not rely on short-term fixes to build Arkansas’ communities. Rather, we must develop a pipeline of entrepreneurs, new industries, and skilled workers necessary to implement a long-term vision of what the Arkansas economy can be.

Click here for more about how Mike Beebe plan's for solving Arkansas biggest issues

Here in my own backyard

Join me in helping my friend Mike Beebe here in my home state of Arkansas!

There's no shortage of big races in 2006.  But one of the most important races I'm focused on this year is taking place here in my home state of Arkansas: the campaign for Arkansas Governor.

My friend Mike Beebe is one of the best prepared leaders we've ever had in this state.  Mike is one of those people you meet who has a real, deep sense of integrity, and he's currently serving Arkansas as Attorney General.  Now I'm committed to helping him become the next Governor of Arkansas so he can get our state turned around.

Won't you join me in helping my friend Mike Beebe here in my home state of Arkansas? Contribute to Mike's campaign today!

Mike Beebe's Republican opponent is former Clinton impeachment prosecutor and Bush Administration official Asa Hutchinson.  Two recent polls have shown Mike leading Hutchinson by as much as 11 points. 

But Asa Hutchinson is tapping into his national GOP fundraising machine to try to close the gap - throwing fundraisers with Republican presidential hopefuls including John McCain and current Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, as well as RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman.

So we can't take anything for granted.  The Republicans don't want to lose this governorship, and they don't want to give Democrats a foothold in the South, so they're going to do everything they can to try and defeat Mike.

That's why I'm writing to you.  This race is extremely important to the people of Arkansas, and to me personally, and I hope you'll take a few minutes to help right now.

Please join me in contributing to Mike Beebe's campaign today!

Mike Beebe's campaign is about the priorities we all share:  more and better jobs, quality health care that's accessible to all, and only the best for our children in public schools.

And Mike's victory in 2006 is key to our future, not just in my home state of Arkansas, but for America, as the Democratic Party wins back the Governor's chair in an important Southern state.

But to win, Mike needs your help and the support of the entire WesPAC community.

By contributing $100, $50, $25, or whatever you can afford today, you can send a message to Asa Hutchinson, to the GOP leadership, and to the White House that America is ready for change.

And that change starts in Arkansas with my friend Mike Beebe as our next Governor.

Thanks for your help!

Sincerely,

Wes Clark

P.S.  I can't tell you how important this campaign is to me personally and to all the people of Arkansas.  So please contribute whatever you can - because statewide campaigns in Arkansas are relatively inexpensive, your donation will really go a long ways towards leading Mike to victory this November.

Editorial (Northwest Arkansas Times): Drive Time

View All Your Campaigns
Go to: Mike Beebe for Governor
Help WesPAC Help Democrats Win!
Contribute to Mike Beebe today!



Drive talk
Northwest Arkansas Times
Tuesday, February 28, 2006

In the shadow of Valentine’s Day, Attorney General Mike Beebe visited Fayetteville —

and proceeded to break our hearts.

It’s not that it was specifically Beebe saying it, because practically any politician can leave us numbed by the discussion of Arkansas’ needs vs. how much money the state has to address them. During a recent lunch, Beebe’s thoughtful rhetoric served as a stark reminder of just how difficult it is to fund the construction and expansion of highways across Arkansas. And this despite the nagging reality that today’s transportation structure isn’t going to be enough to sustain our economy of tomorrow. Not surprisingly, Beebe’s talk — which preceded a visit by Arkansas Highway Commissioner Jonathan Barnett in Fayetteville by just a few days — hinged on the importance of job growth, and the economic development that implies.

Of course, there are lots of different ways to stimulate an economy, from raising educational standards to improving health care standards to improving infrastructure. As most people appreciate, one of the most obvious options is the constant expansion and addition to the state’s highways, which oftentimes makes redevelopment in other areas easier to envision. Of course, lots of places across Arkansas could use an influx of business; but it’s going to take good roads (yes, even in the 21 st century) to make everything work.

Over the course of the coming decade, Barnett has said, Arkansas will have nearly $16 billion in highway needs, but less than $4 billion in funding. Even if one believes the numbers are exaggerated, clearly the Natural State is going to be up against a rock and a hard place. If more funding doesn’t become available, the approaching bottleneck speaks for itself. At a minimum, too many necessary projects will go unfunded at the current pace.

So — how are those dollars the state does receive going to be distributed? Well, that’s where Beebe’s talk got us down a bit. He couldn’t help but remind us that in Arkansas being a commissioner on the state Highway Department means a great deal more than maybe it ought to, and over the course of their 10-year appointments, they influence where the money gets spent a great deal. Currently, the highway commission doles out money into Arkansas’ five regional highway districts evenly.

You probably get our drift. The way things are run creates a good chance some areas of the state aren’t going to receive the amount of funding they rightly deserve. In Northwest Arkansas, it comes as no surprise that the business community is of the mindset that funding ought to be directed wherever high traffic volumes demand it. Such an approach would mean allocating a lot of the state’s resources to Northwest Arkansas.

Since we agree that such reasoning is sound, it was reassuring to learn that Beebe agrees with that line of thinking, that Beebe intends to appoint commissioners that feel the same way, that Beebe believes the money ought to follow the cars. For a variety of reasons, eastern and southern Arkansas just don’t need highway dollars the way Northwest Arkansas seems to. Roads here are straining beneath the heavy growth we’re experiencing, and hopefully that won’t change. Of course, one of the things that could make this booming economy dry up is a bottleneck out there on the highways. Highway dollars aren’t just about big business; they’re also about keeping communities alive and thriving.

Interestingly, Beebe also argued that parts of the state’s economically deprived areas deserve extra funding at times, and we completely agree. Northwest Arkansas cannot assume a position that demands an overwhelming share of the state’s resources, even if one accepts that this corner of the state is driving so much of Arkansas’ economy. We’re ultimately one state and we cannot afford to leave any part of the state behind.

But, as the attorney general said, the rest of the state should appreciate the success story that is Northwest Arkansas, and understand that increasing transportation funding (for highways, an interconnecting bus system, even continued study of a light-rail system) is a necessary component of avoiding bottlenecks we can’t begin to imagine, and making sure our humming economy doesn’t one day go POOF.

That wouldn’t be good for any part of the state.