State Rep. Andy Mayberry physically handed a baton to his wife Friday and announced that he will seek the GOP nomination for lieutenant governor.
Mayberry, 42, a Republican from Hensley, said he was hesitant to run until Julie Mayberry, 42, decided to seek his House seat.
“I suddenly had a great comfort and a great peace,” he said.
He said having his wife in the House would be an advantage that no other lieutenant governor candidate could claim.
Mayberry said if elected lieutenant governor, he would want to advocate for Arkansans who need help with government, work to make state government more efficient and push to have Senate proceedings recorded and aired online like House sessions.
“It is inevitable that we will one day have live streaming of the Senate. I’d like to see that sooner rather than later,” he said.
Mayberry has served in the House since 2011. He owns the The East Ender newspaper in Saline County and the Mayberry Advertising Agency. He is a former spokesman for the stateDepartment of Economic Development and a former communications manager for Alltel Corp.
The lieutenant governor’s position is often regarded as a part-time job. The pay is $41,896 a year, about half the governor’s $86,890 salary.
The lieutenant governor has two primary duties. One is to preside over the Senate when it’s in session - generally a few months each year. The lieutenant governor isn’t allowed to vote except to break ties, which rarely happen.
The other main duty is to act as governor when the state’s chief executive is out of state or unable to serve.
Earlier this year, he sponsored Act 371, which bans most abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy, citing research claiming that a fetus can feel pain by the 20th week and needs protection.
In 2006, Mayberry lost a challenge to Democratic U.S. Rep. Vic Snyder of Little Rock.
Lt. Gov. Mark Darr has announced plans to seek the GOP nomination for the 4thCongressional District instead of re-election to his current position.
Rep. Charlie Collins, R-Fayetteville, has also said he will seek the lieutenant governor’s office.
State Highway Commissioner John Burkhalter of Little Rock, who is president of Burkhalter Technologies, is the only Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor. Two weeks ago,
Little Rock School Board member Dianne Curry dropped her bid and said she would back Burkhalter instead.
Northwest Arkansas, Pages 11 on 08/24/2013