Tom Cotton | RepublicanFirst-term U.S. Rep. Tom Cotton was born and raised on a cattle farm in Yell County. Shortly after graduating from Harvard Law School, Cotton served for five years as an infantry officer in the U.S. Army, including combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. His honors include the Bronze Star Medal, Combat Infantry Badge and Ranger Tab. Following his active-duty service, Cotton worked as a management consultant for McKinsey & Co. He and his wife, Anna, have no children. |
Nathan LaFrance | LibertarianBella Vista resident Nathan LaFrance is a senior manager of energy strategy at Wal-Mart in Bentonville. He says he has "expertise in financial and commodities markets, economics and economic policy," as well as energy and environmental policies, according to his profile on the Libertarian Party of Arkansas' website. While he has no formal political background — this is his first campaign — LaFrance says that he "has studied politics for years and is well prepared to take on the challenges of office." He is married with six children. |
Mark Pryor* | DemocratU.S. Sen. Mark Pryor of Fayetteville has served in his current role since 2003. Before he was elected to Senate, Pryor earned a bachelor's degree in history and a law degree from the University of Arkansas, and spent more than 10 years in private legal practice. He served as a state representative from 1990-1998 and was Arkansas' attorney general from 1998-2002. Pryor is a member of six Senate committees. He is chairman of the subcommittee on Communications, Technology and the Internet as well as the subcommittee on Agriculture Appropriations. He is divorced and has two children. |
Mark Swaney | GreenMechanical engineer Mark Swaney of Huntsville works at the University of Arkansas managing commercial patents on inventions that come from the university's research. Born in Florida, Swaney moved to Arkansas in 1975. He has a master's degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Arkansas, where his two adult children also attended college. Swaney has been a member of the Green Party since 2000, and in 2006 he received an Arkansas Peace and Justice Heroes Award from the OMNI Center for Peace, Justice & Ecology. |