Mike Beebe, American lawyer and politician, 45th Governor of Arkansas
Mickey Dale Beebe (, BEEB) (born December 28, 1946) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 45th governor of Arkansas from 2007 to 2015. He is a member of the Democratic Party.
Born in Amagon, Arkansas, Beebe is a graduate of Arkansas State University in Jonesboro and the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. Beebe entered private practice as an attorney before being elected to the Arkansas Senate in 1982. Beebe served five terms in the Arkansas Senate from 1983 to 2003 and served as President of the Senate during his last term. Beebe was elected Attorney General of Arkansas in 2002, where he served one term from 2003 to 2007.
A member of the Democratic Party, Beebe ran for the governorship in 2006, winning in an uncontested Democratic primary and defeating former U.S. Representative Asa Hutchinson in the general election with 56% of the vote. Beebe was elected to a second term in 2010, defeating former State Senator Jim Keet with 64% of the vote in contrast to fellow Democrat Blanche Lincoln who lost her second re-election bid in a 58-37 landslide. Beebe, who was restricted from running in the 2014 election due to term limits, left office on January 13, 2015.
Beebe currently serves on the Governors’ Council of the Bipartisan Policy Center in Washington, D.C. and has endorsed Medicaid work requirements since leaving office.