Bill Halter

Candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas
Election Date: November 7, 2006

Please contribute directly to Bill Halter's Campaign by clicking here!


The Candidate

Bill Halter, 44, is running for Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas. He is one of the strongest Democrats running for statewide office anywhere in the country. Along with gubernatorial candidate Mike Beebe, Bill Halter leads an unmatched Democratic slate poised to sweep the state's top offices.

A Truman and Rhodes Scholar with a Master's degree in economics, Bill was picked by President Clinton to lead the Social Security Administration. There, he successfully managed a 65,000 employee agency that disbursed $500 billion annually. Bill has worked as an economist for Congress, consulted for the country's largest companies, and served as a board member for several top technology companies.

Bill has a strong business background and understands that taxpayers expect their money to be spent effectively. After completing his graduate studies at Oxford University, he studied and advised successful companies on management as a consultant for McKinsey and Company. Bill then translated his knowledge and experience into a public service career focused on sound government management and expanding opportunity for all. In 1993, Bill joined the Office of Management and Budget where he helped to create the federal government's largest budget surpluses in history, the first in forty years, and shrink federal civilian employment to its lowest level in four decades.

As a fourth generation Arkansan, Halter returned home after completing his work for the Clinton Administration in 2000. Combining his deep Arkansas roots with an extensive public and private sector record, Halter understands the day-to-day concerns of Arkansans from all walks of life. Halter believes that government should help create opportunities for everyone to prosper, particularly through strengthening public education. Halter knows first hand how scholarship programs can give bright, hardworking students a hand up, having gone to Stanford University on a National Merit Scholarship after graduating as the valedictorian of Little Rock Catholic High School in 1979. He went on to graduate from Stanford with Honors and Distinction, and attend Oxford on a Rhodes Scholarship. Bill and his wife Shanti are now expecting a baby girl in November.

• Economic Development: Halter's deep knowledge of the Arkansas economy and his private sector experience have helped him develop a comprehensive plan to create good jobs throughout the state. Halter has noted that Arkansas ranks last in its per capita receipt of federal research and development money. He believes the state needs to do better in securing the millions of dollars in grants and venture capital necessary to create and retain high-paying Arkansas jobs. Furthermore, Halter consistently emphasizes the connections between education and economic development, arguing that, "Education is the key to a better, more prosperous future for all Arkansans."



• Education: Halter has proposed a comprehensive Arkansas Excellence Plan that includes the nation's most rewarding matching grants to families contributing to 529 tax-deferred college savings accounts. The plan is designed to be progressive, offering a dollar for dollar match for higher income families and up to $3 for every $1 saved by a low-income family. Halter also stresses investment in community colleges by expanding the Arkansas Career Pathways program from 11 to all 22 community colleges. The program offers financial, child care and transportation assistance as well as counseling to help parents complete college. Another part of Halter's Arkansas Excellence plan is expanding the Academic Challenge need-based college scholarship program until it is the largest in the region. Halter realizes that education starts early and has proposed making pre-school available to all children. Halter also has outlined policies offering financial support for teachers who enroll in Master's degree programs and higher pay, both targeted towards districts with the greatest need for economic development and improved schools.

Halter's self-identified conservative opponent Jim Holt has offered almost no policy platform or agenda to move Arkansas forward. Holt's "Vision for Arkansas" addresses zero issues affecting Arkansas' economic competitiveness and only a mere few of his policy positions are focused on the most important issues facing the state. Holt compares both the minimum wage and universal pre-kindergarten programs as Soviet-style "socialism."

While Halter easily came out on top in the May 23 primary, he was forced into a June 13 runoff, which he then won comfortably. Halter is endorsed by several important unions including the Arkansas AFL-CIO and the Arkansas Education Association. Consistently down in the polls, Halter's opponent is likely to purchase negative television ads in an attempt to right his floundering poll numbers. While Halter is personally adroit at defending against Holt's ads, he will need additional financial support to sufficiently beat back Holt's final attempt at closing the gap. A little-known conservative 527 called Campaign for Arkansas' Future began radio attack ads against Beebe last week, and may also run ads against Halter. Still, Halter is favored to retake the Lieutenant Governorship for Democrats.

Democrats are well positioned to sweep the statewide offices in 2006 due to their strong candidates and the growing fractiousness of the Arkansas GOP, as its far right wing overtakes its moderate pro-business faction. CNM believes that Bill Halter, with his willingness to standup to special interests, is an ideal candidate for Lieutenant Governor. Halter knows what it will take to create opportunities for all Arkansans to thrive, and he has the experience and wherewithal to achieve his vision. Arkansas deserves a forward-looking leader like Bill Halter who can move Arkansas to the top of the nation.

CNM believes Bill Halter has a rare set of experiences and accomplishments that ensure that he will be an effective leader and advocate for people throughout Arkansas.

Attn: Michael Fertik

Campaign for National Majority
251 W. 89th St. #7D
New York, NY 10024