Blanche Lincoln
United States Senator from Arkansas
In office January 3, 1999 – January 3, 2011
Preceded by	Dale Bumpers
Succeeded by	John Boozman
Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry
In office September 9, 2009 – January 5, 2011
Preceded by	Tom Harkin
Succeeded by	Debbie Stabenow
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Arkansas's 1st district
In office January 3, 1993 – January 3, 1997
Preceded by	William Alexander, Jr.
Succeeded by	Marion Berry
Personal details
Born	(1960-09-30) September 30, 1960 (age 51) Helena, Arkansas
Nationality	American
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Dr. Steve Lincoln
Residence	Little Rock, Arkansas
Alma mater	Randolph-Macon Woman's College (B.S.)
Profession	Politician
Religion	Episcopalian
Signature

Blanche Meyers Lambert Lincoln (born September 30, 1960) is a former U.S. Senator from Arkansas and a member of the Democratic Party. First elected to the Senate in 1998, she was the first woman elected to the Senate from Arkansas since Hattie Caraway in 1932 and, at age 38, was the youngest woman ever elected to the Senate.^[1] She previously served in the U.S. House of Representatives, representing Arkansas's 1st congressional district from 1993 to 1997.

Lincoln was the first woman and the first Arkansan to serve as chair of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry.^[1] She also served as the Chair of Rural Outreach for the Senate Democratic Caucus. In 2010 she ran for a third term, but lost by a 58%-37% margin to Rep. John Boozman, whose brother, Fay Boozman, she defeated in Arkansas's 1998 Senate election.^[2]

Early life, education and career[link]

A seventh-generation Arkansan, Blanche Lambert was born in Helena, Phillips County, to Martha (née Kelly) and Jordan Bennett Lambert.^[3][4] Her father was a rice and cotton farmer.^[3][5] Her older sister, Mary Lambert, is a film director.^[6] She received her early education at the local public schools in Helena, and was the student council president at Central High School from 1977 to 1978.^[3]

Lincoln attended the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, where she was a member of the Chi Omega sorority.^[3] She graduated from Randolph-Macon Woman's College in Lynchburg, Virginia, in 1982, earning a Bachelor's degree in biology.^[7] She originally sought to go into nursing.^[8]

After graduating from college, Lincoln served as a staff assistant for U.S. Representative Bill Alexander, a Democrat from Arkansas's 1st congressional district.^[7] She remained in Alexander's office until 1984.^[3]

U.S. House of Representatives career[link]

In 1992, Lincoln defeated Alexander (who had become a major figure in the House banking scandal) in the Democratic primary, by a margin of 61 to 39 percent. She subsequently won the general election, beating Republican Terry Hayes with 70% of the vote. Her election to the House coincided with the election of fellow Arkansan, Bill Clinton, as President of the United States.

She calls herself a centrist Democrat and was among the minority of Democrats to support CAFTA. While in the House, she was one of only 17 Democrats to vote for the Teamwork for Employees and Managers Act of 1995 which sought to change federal employment laws. The law was vetoed by President Bill Clinton. She has voted in favor restricting class action lawsuits and tightening rules on personal bankruptcy. Lincoln was also one of the few Democrats in Congress to vote in favor of Bush administration's tax cuts and she supports the permanent elimination of the estate tax.

On April 5, 1995 she was one of only 27 Democrats in the House to vote in favor of the Contract With America Tax Relief Act, which was approved by the House. Lincoln also co-sponsored and supported legisation to amend the constitution to require a balanced-budget amendment. In 1996 she championed the Freedom to Farm Act.

She was reelected to a second term under her married name, Blanche Lincoln, and served in the House of Representatives until 1997. Lincoln chose not to run for reelection in 1996; she was pregnant at that time.

U.S. Senate career[link]

Lincoln speaks during the second day of the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado.

In 1998, Lincoln returned to politics and ran for the Senate seat being vacated by incumbent Senator Dale Bumpers. She defeated her Republican opponent, Fay Boozman (1946–2005), a state senator and the brother of future U.S. Representative John Boozman, 385,878 (55.1 percent) to 295,870 (42.2 percent).

Lincoln served on the Senate Finance Committee; Special Committee on Aging; Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources; Senate Social Security Task Force; Rural Health Caucus; Senate New Democrat Coalition and chair of the Rural Outreach for the Senate Democratic Caucus.

Lincoln made history again on September 9, 2009, when she was tapped as Chairman of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee. In the Committee’s 184-year history, she is the first Arkansan and the first woman to serve as Chairman.

Lincoln concentrated primarily on issues involving farmers and rural issues. She is one of the primary advocates of the Delta Regional Authority, which is designed to spur development in the lower Mississippi Delta region.

Lincoln holds a press conference with Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT), chairman of the Senate Finance Committee regarding Medicare and the proposed changes to the system.

Lincoln served as Arkansas's Senior Senator since 2003, serving with fellow Arkansan Mark Pryor who defeated Senator Tim Hutchinson. In 2004, Lincoln was re-elected, beating Republican State Senator Jim Holt (R-Springdale) 56%-44%, even as President Bush carried the state with 54% of the vote.

In 2004, Lincoln co-founded the Senate Hunger Caucus. The caucus was established to provide a bi-partisan forum for Senators and staff to discuss, advance and engage the Senate's work on national and international hunger and food insecurity issues.^[9]

Lincoln called for the resignation of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, claiming that the firing of eight federal prosecutors has created a "serious breach between the Justice Department and Congress, a breach that I'm not sure can be repaired with Mr. Gonzales at the helm." She and her Senate colleague, Mark Pryor, were particularly upset that Gonzales reneged on a promise to have a replacement for Bud Cummins, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, go through Senate confirmation. Gonzales ultimately did resign, in August 2007.

Senator Lincoln speaking in Jonesboro, Arkansas, on October 25, 2008.

In 2007, Lincoln played a key role in brokering the compromise that led to passage of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008. Also known as the “farm bill,” this legislation provides resources for nutrition, conservation, rural development, and renewable energy. Lincoln led the charge against defeating an amendment to the pending Farm Bill which would have capped government Agricultural subsidy payments at $250,000 per year, per farm. According to Lincoln, it was unfair to some farmers in her state, notably cotton growers. Even though the amendment passed (56-43), Lincoln threatened a filibuster if any amendment did not get a 60-vote majority, so the amendment was withdrawn after passage.

Lincolon with other female Senators of the 110th Congress

Lincoln also helped form the Moderate Dems Working Group, a coalition of moderate Senate Democrats whose stated goal is to work with Senate leadership and the administration toward finding bipartisan solutions to controversial political issues. In addition, she co-founded and currently co-chairs Third Way, a moderate think-tank whose self-described goals are "an economic agenda that is focused on growth and middle class success; a culture of shared values; a national security approach that is both tough and smart; and a clean energy revolution." ^[10]

In September 2009, Lincoln pledged to filibuster any legislation containing a Public health insurance option, such as the Affordable Health Care for America Act, the House of Representatives' proposed health care reform bill.^[11] Lincoln voted in favor of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the Senate bill which eventually became the Barack Obama administration's health care reform bill. However, she voted against the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, a package of amendments to the former bill passed by the reconciliation process in the Senate. She also spoke out in opposition to the Employee Free Choice Act, garnering her the praise of Americans for Tax Reform.^[12]

On December 9, 2010 Lincoln missed a critical vote to repeal Don't ask, don't tell after a dental appointment and missed voting by three minutes. A supporter of the bill, Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT), told reporters: "She was very frustrated and apologized to both of us." She claims she would have voted for repeal had she made the vote.^[13]

Lincoln opposes bringing Guantanamo Bay prisoners to the United States for trial.^[14]

Her older sister is film director Mary Lambert, who directed the documentary 14 Women, which includes Lincoln herself.

After Congress[link]

Lincoln remained in Washington after her loss, working as "Special Policy Advisor" at the firm of Alston & Bird.^[15]

In 2011 Lincoln became chair of Small Business for Sensible Regulations^[16], a project of the National Federation of Independent Business

Electoral history[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Blanche Lincoln for U.S. Senate official campaign site
• Biography at WhoRunsGov.com at The Washington Post
• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
• Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
• Congressional profile at GovTrack
• Congressional profile at OpenCongress
• Issue positions and quotes at On the Issues
• Current Bills Sponsored at StateSurge.com
• Financial information at OpenSecrets.org
• Staff salaries, trips and personal finance at LegiStorm.com
• Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
• Appearances on C-SPAN programs
• Collected news and commentary at The New York Times

v t e United States Senators from Arkansas Class 2 Fulton Ashley Sebastian McDonald Clayton Garland Berry Davis Heiskell Kavanaugh Robinson Miller Spencer McClellan Hodges D. Pryor Hutchinson M. Pryor Class 3 Sevier Borland Johnson Mitchel Rice Dorsey Walker Jones Clarke Kirby T. Caraway H. Caraway Fulbright Bumpers Lincoln Boozman

Bill Halter
14th Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas
In office January 9, 2007 – January 11, 2011
Governor	Mike Beebe
Preceded by	Winthrop Paul Rockefeller
Succeeded by	Mark Darr
Deputy Commissioner of the Social Security Administration
In office November 10, 1999 – January 20, 2001
President	Bill Clinton
Personal details
Born	(1960-11-30) November 30, 1960 (age 51) North Little Rock, Arkansas
Political party	Democratic
Alma mater	Oxford University (M.Phil.) Stanford University (B.A.)
Profession	Economist, Management Consultant
Religion	Roman Catholic

William A. "Bill" Halter (born November 30, 1960) was the 14th Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas. A member of the Democratic Party, he was elected to succeed the late Republican Winthrop Paul Rockefeller in 2006, defeating Republican challenger Jim Holt by a margin of 57%–43%.

Before his election as lieutenant governor, Halter served as the Deputy Commissioner (1999–2001) and Acting Commissioner (2001) of the Social Security Administration. He previously worked as a senior adviser in the Office of Management and Budget from 1993 to 1999. A native of North Little Rock, he is a graduate of Stanford University and Oxford University.

He unsuccessfully challenged two-term incumbent Blanche Lincoln for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate, losing to her in the June 8, 2010 runoff after neither won a majority in the May primary.^[1]

Early life and career[link]

A fourth-generation Arkansan, Halter was born and raised in North Little Rock. He graduated from Little Rock Catholic High School as valedictorian of his class in 1979. A National Merit Scholar and a 1981 Harry S. Truman Scholar,^[2] he studied economics and political science at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with honors and distinction in 1983. He was also a member of Phi Beta Kappa.

Upon graduation from Stanford, he won a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford University in England, where he received a Master of Philosophy degree in economics in 1986. Following his return to the United States, he became a management consultant with McKinsey & Company.

Public service[link]

Halter entered the public sector, serving as an economist to the U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee and as chief economist for the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance. Following the election of fellow Arkansan Bill Clinton as President of the United States, Halter joined the new administration as a senior adviser in the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in 1993. He advised on a range of policy issues, reviewed and evaluated budgets and management practices of Federal cabinet departments, presented budget options to the President, and formulated Administration positions on domestic and international policy issues. He also coordinated the work of the President's Management Council, a group consisting of the Chief Operating Officers of the Federal Cabinet departments.

On October 1, 1999, Halter was nominated by President Clinton to serve as Deputy Commissioner of the Social Security Administration. He was unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate on November 10, 1999, becoming the first confirmed Deputy Commissioner of the SSA as an independent agency. As the agency's Chief Operating Officer, he was responsible for the delivery of more than $500 billion in benefits to over 48 million Americans and managed 65,000 employees in 1,500 offices.^{[citation needed]}

During his tenure, he encouraged the use of computer technology in all aspects of SSA's operations. Of particular interest to Halter was the use of the Internet, both as an informational service and a service-delivery method. He pushed the Agency to accelerate its adoption of Internet service delivery and maintained constant pressure on the organization to find new and innovative ways to use the Internet in its business operations. From January 21 to March 28, 2001, Halter served as Acting Commissioner of the SSA during the first months of the administration of George W. Bush.^{[citation needed]}

Halter then re-entered the private sector by joining the board of directors of several companies in biotechnology and information technology, including Akamai Technologies, webMethods, InterMune, Threshold Pharmaceuticals and Xenogen.^[3] He also was a trustee at his alma mater of Stanford University from 1996 to 2003.

Political career[link]

In the run-up to the 2006 Arkansas elections, Halter initially ran for Governor of Arkansas but dropped out in March 2006 and instead ran successfully for lieutenant governor. He won a Democratic primary election run-off against Tim Wooldridge and then defeated Jim L. Holt of Springdale, a conservative former Republican state legislator and Southern Baptist minister, in the general election.^[4] In 2007, there was speculation that Halter would run for the United States Senate against incumbent Mark Pryor in 2008,^[5] but Halter did not run. Halter is the Chairman of the Democratic Lieutenant Governors Association and of the Southern Region of the National Lieutenant Governors Association.^[6]

On March 1, 2010, Halter announced his candidacy in the 2010 U.S. Senate election, challenging two-term incumbent Blanche Lincoln in the Democratic primary.^[7] After one month of fund-raising, the Halter campaign announced that they had raised more than $2 million.^[8] On May 18, 2010, Halter and a minor third candidate prevented Lincoln from polling over 50% of the vote, thus triggering a runoff on June 8 between Lincoln and Halter, which Lincoln won.^[9]

Halter has been described as an outspoken supporter of gay rights and a "classic populist, progressive Democrat".^[10]

Political positions[link]

The economy[link]

Halter supports investment in clean energy, making broadband accessible to all Arkansans and raising the minimum wage. He opposes trade deals that "send Arkansas jobs abroad and undermine American businesses by undercutting American workers by not requiring the same working conditions as American businesses have to meet."^[11]

Education[link]

An influential supporter of the scholarship lottery, which has helped 28,000 families afford higher education without raising taxes, Halter supports making loans and grants more affordable. He has criticised Blanche Lincoln's support for the big banks that profit from student loans. Halter supports the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act which would expand federal Pell Grants and end federally-subsidized private loans, using all federal student loan funding for direct loans and cutting the deficit by $87 billion over 10 years. Halter has criticised Lincoln for opposing the act.^[11]

Health care[link]

Halter backs President Obama's efforts to reform health care, saying that although the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act could have been better, he supports it because it provides 450,000 uninsured Arkansans with health care. He has criticised Lincoln for watering down the act, saying that she has "sided with the insurance companies and HMOs who gave her campaign more than $800,000."^[11]

Farming and rural communities[link]

Halter has made agriculture one of his "top priorities", pledging to support farmers, not corporate agribusiness. He believes that too much money is given in subsidies to those who don't need it, whilst failing to provide support for family farmers.^[11]

Consumer protection & financial reform[link]

Halter has repeatedly criticised Congress' close relationship with special interests and lobby groups. He has said that banks that take taxpayers' money should be held to account. He supports reforms that get banks lending money to Main Street and small businesses whilst preventing a repeat of the financial crisis. Halter supports the creation of an independent watchdog agency, an end to sky-high corporate compensation, and better checks and balances on financial industry practices.^[11]

Family[link]

Halter and his wife Shanti have two daughters. They are members of Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in North Little Rock.

Electoral history[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Office of the Lieutenant Governor

• Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
• Congressional profile at GovTrack
• Issue positions and quotes at On the Issues
• Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
• Campaign contributions at the National Institute for Money in State Politics
• Appearances on C-SPAN programs
• Campaign contributions OpenSecrets.org (U.S. Senate race)