Heading into the May primaries, AMP continues its monthly look at candidates in Arkansas’ main statewide races. For those candidates we were able to track down and who agreed to participate, we asked a few questions related to why they’re running.
This month, we feature gubernatorial candidates Dr. Chris Jones, Jay Martin (both Democrats) and Republican Doc Washburn, as well as Pam Whitaker, a Democrat running for state treasurer.
Governor
Chris Jones (D)
Dr. Chris Jones, a Pine Bluff native, attended Morehouse College in Atlanta on a NASA Scholarship for physics and mathematics before earning a master’s in nuclear engineering and a Ph.D. in urban planning from MIT. An ordained minister, he is the former head of the Arkansas Regional Innovation Hub in North Little Rock.
AMP: Tell us a little about yourself.
Jones: I’m just another kid from Pine Bluff: I grew up eating honeysuckle, fighting grasshoppers and riding dirt bikes. I watched my parents and grandparents make sacrifices to build a better life for our family right here in Arkansas. And it wasn’t just for us — I saw the extra care they gave to our neighbors, our friends, our church. They knew the importance of a strong family and a safe community. It was through them I first learned the deeply-Arkansan values of hope, faith and hard work.
I am married to Dr. Jerrilyn Jones, a former Air Force pilot and emergency room physician. Together, we are raising our three daughters, making our family eighth-generation Arkansans.
AMP: Why are you running for governor? What are some of your goals?
Jones: When I was 8 years old, my daddy and I bumped into then Gov. Bill Clinton. I was mesmerized by the conversation and asked my father what [Clinton] did. When my dad told me he was the governor, I asked what a governor does, to which my dad replied, “Go look it up.” For the next several days, I studied and learned that a governor serves people and can make a real, positive difference in their lives. At that moment, I decided that I wanted to one day make a real, positive difference in the place that my family has been for over 200 years.
Now, we have been to every county in Arkansas, and I know Arkansas is tired of being last in nearly every national ranking. I have visited classes with 20 students and only two were reading at grade level; I have visited with so many of our families that say they can barely make ends meet. I was impacted because I remember the shame I felt as a kid when I had to use food stamps to purchase groceries. Arkansas is rich with opportunities; we just need leaders ready to serve and open doors of opportunity for all Arkansans.
I want to serve everyone in Arkansas by ensuring we all have the same basic level of dignity and quality of life. I will focus my administration’s effort on just that, starting with spreading “PBJ” — preschool, broadband and jobs. Our goal is to realize the promise of Arkansas by demonstrating to the nation how to engage all citizens, govern responsibly and deliver real results.
AMP: What will you bring to the field that your opponents will not?
Jones: I’m a scientist, engineer, urban planner and minister –– my entire career has been devoted to innovating to get better results and doing so with compassion. That starts with listening, identifying problems, testing possible solutions, iterating and investing in what is working. I will run the Governor’s Office with the same dedication and determination. I have already started that work by visiting with leaders including mayors, faith leaders and parents in all 75 counties, to understand their needs and ensure they are ready to have a voice in the policy process.
Thanks to the bipartisan work in Congress, Arkansas is set to receive $4 billion in infrastructure funds for the next five years. The next governor will have a huge say in how those funds are spent and on what projects. I have a Ph.D. in urban planning, and I know firsthand how an investment — like those we will make in our roads, broadband, and water systems — can renew a town. As governor, I will make sure we take this once-in-a-generation opportunity to invest in the future or our rural towns and our growing cities.
There is an opportunity now for a new kind of leadership here in Arkansas. The kind of leadership that gives you hope, that makes you realize that anything can be possible.
Leadership that dares to dream big. Leadership that puts division aside and brings us together.
That’s why I’m running for governor. And that’s why I’m asking your readers for their support and their vote in the May 24 primary election.
Jay Martin (D)
Jay Martin is a Little Rock attorney with the firm of Wallace, Martin Duke & Russell and a former state legislator. He served as majority leader in 2005 and 2006. An ordained Assembly of God minister and self-described pro-life Democrat, Martin leads Metro LR, an inner-city campus church of First Assembly of God in North Little Rock.
AMP: Tell us a little about yourself.
Martin: I’m from Mabelvale, which is in rural Pulaski County. I’m a graduate of McClellan High School, then went to UALR, then the Bowen School of Law. I practice law at Wallace, Martin, Duke & Russell. I’m an Assembly of God-ordained pastor, and I lead the Metro Worship Center off of Roosevelt Road. Most notably, I’m a father and husband and a former basketball coach and soccer coach. I’ve served in the state legislature, and I’ve worked all across Central Arkansas. I’ve worked with inner-city kids in my time as a pastor. 9/11 led me to get involved in the public sector by running for office.
AMP: Why are you running for this position?
Martin: When I took a break from politics in 2006, I decided to focus on the law firm and on raising my daughters. I continued doing faith work where I could. My daughters got to the age where I could be involved with them, and I enjoy being a dad. It was good for me to be in the legislature and to have left for a while, because I’ve been able to see a shift over the last decade. I’ve become disturbed over the last few years with the rhetoric that I’ve seen in politics. My children’s view of politics is different from what my view of politics is because the expectation of behavior in politics has definitely shifted. We used to be able to work across the aisle for all Arkansans and get things done. I’ve decided to leave my private life behind again and get involved once more. This is a critical time. The next governor better be prepared to govern and to lead. We need someone with a pastor’s heart.
AMP: What experience and qualities do you bring to the field?
Martin: I’ve been in the state legislature before. I know the concept of taking an idea, making it a bill and getting it through the legislature, all the way to the governor’s desk. I’ve worked with the state budget, which is a very complicated thing. All of these things require some experience. When I first joined the state legislature in 2003, I wanted to make sure our heroes got the legislation they needed, and I got involved because of our military families. I wanted our veterans to have the resources that they needed. In 2004, I was elected majority leader and was able to work as a bridge-builder. I put together a legislative package and formed the first bipartisan committee. I’m focused on my race and not my opponents’. I’m the candidate with the experience of being elected to office and bringing people together. I’ve brought people together in a practical way. We’ve worked throughout the county to start fixing the areas that needed help the most. I care about all of our communities. I’m looking for ways to bring people together. We’ve got a record of being outside the box and looking at the economy, and we want to look at the public sector as well. We believe that we can grow the economy, have second-to-none schools and cut down on crime. We did it 15 years ago, and I want to do it again as governor.
AMP: What’s the biggest issue right now pertaining to the Governor’s Office?
Martin: I’d say economic development because that touches on and impacts so many things. If our state’s economy is growing, it cuts down on crime and helps education. We need a governor that understands that we, the people, are the voice of the government. We want to hold our elected officials accountable and promote transparency. We want to make sure that the government advocates for and fights for the people because the people are the government. Additionally, we want to focus on topics like senior health care, mental health care and addiction recovery. I really want to be the governor that solves mental health issues here in Arkansas.
Doc Washburn (R)
Doc Washburn hosted a statewide talk show on the KARN network from Little Rock for seven years. He was fired for refusing to comply with a corporate vaccine mandate. He now hosts a national podcast.
AMP: Tell us a little about yourself.
Washburn: I have been in radio since 1977 and in talk radio since 1997. I did the big, local talk radio show in Little Rock from July 2014 to October 2021, when Cumulus Media fired me from KARN for refusing to comply with its vaccine mandate. Since then, I have been doing a national podcast. I never planned to run for office, but friends of mine were concerned there was no conservative candidate and urged me to run for governor.
AMP: What are some of your goals?
Washburn: I’ll dramatically reduce the size and scope of state government in order to get them off Arkansans’ backs. I’ll repeal the personal income tax, taxes on small businesses and taxes on used goods — including used cars — and pay for it by cutting the size of the government instead of increasing other taxes. I’ll sign a bill outlawing all mask and vaccine mandates. I’ll institute real school choice. The money must follow the students, not the schools. I’ll order child welfare workers to stop taking children away from parents who love them. They’ll have to wear bodycams, give parents Miranda warnings and stop forcing their way into people’s homes without a warrant. I’ll stop abuses in nursing homes. I’ll make sure our veterans receive the federal benefits they are due. There’s no excuse for them being homeless or hungry. I’ll sign a law abolishing abortion. I’ll uphold our Second Amendment rights. Last, but not least: We have the second highest tax on cell phone bills in the country –– 20.21 percent. It’s higher than New York or California. It’s Republican and Democrat legislators’ fault for passing Act 660, and Gov. Hutchinson’s fault for signing it. The cell phone tax must be drastically cut.
AMP: What will you bring to the field that your opponents will not?
Washburn: I have only one opponent for the Republican primary: Sarah Huckabee Sanders. Unlike Sarah, I will actually answer questions. I will address specific issues. I was recently a guest on Roby Brock’s Talk Business and Politics program. Roby was tough but fair. I am willing to discuss the issues Arkansans face anywhere in the state. Sarah isn’t. She is too busy hosting $5,000-a-plate dinners outside Arkansas. Roby’s team asked her 20 times to appear on his show. She has steadfastly refused.
STATE TREASURER
Pam Whitaker (D)
Pam Whitaker of Little Rock is CEO of East Coast Awakening LLC, a security firm, and founder of Cyber Fly Girls, a nonprofit devoted to increasing the number of women in the STEM fields. She is the lone Democratic candidate for state treasurer.
AMP: Why are you running for this position?
Whitaker: I am excited about sharing my skills and experience in federal and state contract management as well as audit controls within the State Treasurer’s Office. I will be using this candidacy position as a platform to do several things. Firstly, to protect and grow our state’s financial resources and to balance this work with an emphasis on our state’s natural resources. Secondly, to empower and train other minority- and women-owned firms across the state of Arkansas. This is an expansion of the work I am already doing through my nonprofit, Cyber Fly Girls, and other small business training I have conducted.
Thirdly, to share information to improve the security of our citizens through training on cyber security, risk management, fraud detection and other activities that impact our personal as well as our state financial resources. And lastly, to support financial equity throughout the state supporting our state’s broadband efforts and providing technical and financial literacy educational opportunities throughout the state.
AMP: What experience and qualities do you bring to the field
Whitaker: I have had the privilege of working with and holding leadership roles in a variety of federal, state, private and nonprofit organizations, including the Project Management Institute, InfraGard (FBI public/private critical infrastructure partnership), the National Contract Management Association, ISACA (IT and audit controls), the IRS Department of Treasury (process improvement, project management and systems engineering roles) and Lockheed Martin (avionics software development and technical project management).
My experience spans multiple sectors of our U.S. economic engine, including government, health care, banking, security/information systems and construction. Some highlights of my work include software development and testing of the LANTIRN Electro-Optical FLIR system on the F16 fighter jet, as well as the engineering design of a systemwide workflow-process improvement project for the Federal IRS Data Center in Washington, D.C. As a footnote, I have held various levels of security clearance while serving in these roles. Along the way, I have experienced socially systemic as well as ethical challenges, where I have successfully applied both persistence and fiduciary integrity in order to achieve positive change within these environments.
This professional career path, as well as the creation and operation of my own woman-owned security firm, give me a solid foundation and desire to use this candidacy as an educational outreach platform to join others in moving our state forward as a leader in financial equity and growth.