Saline County Circuit Clerk Dennis Milligan of Benton has formed a committee to explore the possibility of running for state treasurer as a Republican next year. Talk show host and former Gov. Mike Huckabee of Santa Rosa Beach, Fla., and businessman and former state Highway Commissioner Madison Murphy of El Dorado are co-chairmen of the Committee to ElectDennis Milligan, Milligan said Tuesday.
Milligan said forming an exploratory committee is “a good first step to run my name up the flagpole” to gauge his prospects. He said he probably will make a final decision about whether to run by June.
“The odds are very good that I’ll be running,” he said.
Milligan has been the Saline County circuit clerk since January 2011.
He ousted Democrat incumbent Doug Kidd in 2010, and was unopposed in the 2012 general election, after surviving a Republican primary challenge from Myka Bono Sample.
He was chairman of the state Republican Party from 2007-2008, and narrowly lost House races in 2002 and 2004 to state Rep. Janet Johnson, DBryant.
State Rep. Duncan Baird, RLowell, said he’s also considering the possibility of runningfor state treasurer in 2014. He said he’ll make a final decision about the race sometime after this year’s legislative session. He is co-chairman of the Legislature’s Joint Budget Committee and has served in the House since 2009.
Democratic state Treasurer Martha Shoffner of Newport has been the state’s treasurer since 2007. She is barred from seeking re-election under the state’s term-limits amendment.
Northwest Arkansas, Pages 13 on 02/27/2013