The Democrats in the state's House of Representatives met Friday and elected a northeast Arkansas farmer as their new minority party leader.
Michael John Gray, D-Augusta, was picked over fellow Democrat David Whitaker of Fayetteville to become the party's third minority leader since Reconstruction.
Gray, 39, was elected to the House of Representatives in 2014, and said that his top priority as the new leader is to tend to the needs of his 34 fellow Democrats as well as the needs of their constituents.
"There has been great representation in [Democratic] leadership from central Arkansas and northwest Arkansas, I thought someone from northeast Arkansas ought to step up and contribute," Gray said. "I want to make sure northeast Arkansas comes to the table."
Gray will replace Rep. Eddie Armstrong, D-North Little Rock, who was elected to the position in June 2014 and coordinated House Democrats during the past legislative session. Armstrong was preceded as minority leader by Rep. Greg Leding, D-Fayetteville.
On Friday, Armstrong said that he was looking forward to working with Gray in pushing a positive party message and to help in fielding good candidates for next year's elections.
"It's a good move and I believe in him," Armstrong said. "I look forward to working hand in hand ... and getting rid of the more divisive government and politics we've seen play out in Washington, D.C. I can't think of a better person."
Prior to being elected to the House, Gray was a city councilman in Augusta. He holds a law degree from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, is married and has an 11-month-old son.
The Democratic Party of Arkansas has been losing ground steadily over the past few years in a state that has been traditionally conservative yet has voted Democrat.
In 2014, Republicans claimed all seven of the constitutional offices, including the offices of the governor and attorney general, and grew large majorities in both the House and state Senate.
Currently, there are 65 Republicans in the House, and a former Republican, Rep. Nate Bell, of Mena, is now an independent. The state Senate has 11 Democrats and 24 Republicans.
Gray said that he looks forward to getting his party's message back out to voters in districts that have turned Republican.
"There still is an Arkansas Democratic Party and we still care about local issues like defending our public schools and making sure our counties aren't burdened with the overpopulation of inmates," Gray said. "Democratic issues are real issues out there in the real world and not just the politics of whatever is the hot-button item of the day."
Camille Bennett, D-Lonoke, like Gray, is a first-term state representative, and she said that she and the rest of the caucus were excited to have Gray as a leader.
She said that House Democrats come from an array of constituencies and philosophies, ranging from more conservative rural Democrats to very liberal Democrats in the state's urban centers.
But at the end of the day, she said, the membership is united.
"The Democratic Party suffered, obviously, serious losses in the last election, but we've got a new day coming," she said. "I think people are getting tired of some of the people in the Republican Party not focusing on the business in our districts."
Until Aug. 20, there were 36 Democrats serving in the House, but Rep. Mike Holcomb of Pine Bluff announced he was switching parties.
Asked if he was concerned that more Democrats might leave the party, Gray said that he was confident that his fellow Democrats in the Legislature were firm Democrats.
"I don't anticipate [any more changes]. If there were some changes coming then we'll deal with them when they come," Gray said. "Our caucus has liberal Democrats, conservative Democrats, socially conservative and fiscally liberal and vice versa. But we're all Democrats."
Metro on 09/26/2015