Gov. Mike Beebe says "good people" should run for elective office and that Arkansans should support them when they do.
Speaking to the Arkansas Farm Bureau on Wednesday, the governor called some politicians "ideologues" who make up their minds on issues before hearing all the facts. Without naming names, Beebe said the state needs people willing to put Arkansans first.
Beebe waxed nostalgic throughout his remarks, talking about his upbringing in "suburban Amagon" and, as a youngster, seeing chickens beneath a relative's house through the cracks in the floor.
He praised the state's agricultural industry and said farmers "are needed now more than ever" to feed a hungry world.
The governor leaves office in early 2015 and has said he will not seek another position.