Mark A. Darr (born July 3, 1973) is an American

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

from Springdale,

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...

, who was his state's 19th

lieutenant governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

from 2011 to 2014. A member of the Republican Party, he was elected in 2010 to succeed

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

Bill Halter William A. Halter Jr (born November 30, 1960) is an American politician who served as the 18th lieutenant governor of Arkansas from 2007 to 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he was elected to succeed the late Republican Winthrop Paul Rocke ...

. To win the second-ranking post in state government, he defeated another Democrat,

state Senator A state senator is a member of a state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature. Description A state senator is a member of an upper house in the bicameral legislatures of 49 U ...

and former House Speaker

Shane Broadway Shane Broadway (born August 30, 1972) is a former Democratic state legislator, serving in the Arkansas General Assembly from 1997 to 2011 with a focus on education policy. Following an unsuccessful bid for Arkansas Lieutenant Governor in 2010, ...

by a margin of 51 to 49 percent. On February 1, 2014, under sanction for ethics violations involving illegal use of campaign funds, Darr resigned as lieutenant governor.

Early life and education

Darr was born in Fort Smith in Sebastian County, Arkansas. He is a graduate of Mansfield High School in

Mansfield Mansfield is a market town and the administrative centre of Mansfield District in Nottinghamshire, England. It is the largest town in the wider Mansfield Urban Area (followed by Sutton-in-Ashfield). It gained the Royal Charter of a market tow ...

, Arkansas, and

Ouachita Baptist University Ouachita Baptist University (OBU) is a private Baptist university in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. The university's name is taken from the Ouachita (pronounced WAH-shi-tah) River, which forms the eastern campus boundary. It is affiliated with the Arka ...

Arkadelphia Arkadelphia is a city in Clark County, Arkansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 10,714. The city is the county seat of Clark County. It is situated at the foothills of the Ouachita Mountains. Two universities, Henderso ...

, Arkansas.

Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas

Darr narrowly won the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor in 2010. He defeated subsequent State Representative

Donnie Copeland Donnie Ray Copeland (born March 16, 1961) is an American pastor and politician. He is the pastor of the Apostolic Pentecostal Church in North Little Rock, Arkansas. From 2015 through 2017, he served one term as a Republican member of the Arkansa ...

North Little Rock North Little Rock is a city in Pulaski County, Arkansas, across the Arkansas from Little Rock in the central part of the state. The population was 64,591 at the 2020 census. In 2019 the estimated population was 65,903, making it the seventh-mo ...

, 64,883 votes (51.9 percent) to 60,072 votes (48.1 percent). Darr was elected Lieutenant Governor on November 2, 2010, the youngest Republican to date to win a statewide race in his state. Prior to the election, he had never before run for public office. On August 12, 2013, Darr announced his candidacy for

Arkansas's 4th congressional district Arkansas's 4th congressional district is a congressional district located in the southwestern portion of the U.S. state of Arkansas. Notable towns in the district include Camden, Hope, Hot Springs, Magnolia, Pine Bluff, and Texarkana. The ...

. He ended his candidacy after questions were raised about campaign expenditures during his 2010 campaign for lieutenant governor. On August 29, 2013, Darr ended his campaign for Congress.

Scandal and resignation

In late November 2013, questions of ethics violations arose after Darr reportedly filed incorrect and misleading campaign financial disclosure statements. Darr maintained his innocence, but state Democrats and fellow Republicans threatened impeachment proceedings if Darr did not step down. An ethics commission accused Darr of breaking the Arkansas Code eleven times and using approximately $31,572.74 from his campaign funds for personal expenses. On December 30, 2013, he signed a letter stating he would pay the state's $11,000 Ethics Commission fine but maintained his mistakes were unintentional. Darr announced on January 10, 2014 that he would resign from his office effective February 1, 2014. Darr failed to officially notify

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Mike Beebe Mickey Dale Beebe ( ; 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 Arkansa ...

, a Democrat, that he was resigning. Beebe was the only constitutional officer who could declare the office vacant. Darr did forward copies to Republican elected state officials. He did not immediately pay the $11,000 Ethics Commission fine, but according to ''The Baxter Bulletin'', local officials have said he will "pay soon". Darr and his wife filed for bankruptcy in June 2015.

Personal life

Darr and his wife, Kim, have two children. He is a licensed

insurance agent Insurance is a means of protection from financial loss in which, in exchange for a fee, a party agrees to compensate another party in the event of a certain loss, damage, or injury. It is a form of risk management, primarily used to hedge ...

and also co-owns two

restaurant A restaurant is a business that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services. Restaurants vary greatly in appearan ...

s in

Rogers Rogers may refer to: Places Canada *Rogers Pass (British Columbia) *Rogers Island (Nunavut) United States * Rogers, Arkansas, a city * Rogers, alternate name of Muroc, California, a former settlement * Rogers, Indiana, an unincorporated community ...

, Arkansas. The Darrs reside in Springdale, the state's fourth largest city. They are members of the

megachurch A megachurch is a church with an unusually large membership that also offers a variety of educational and social activities, usually Protestant or Evangelical. The Hartford Institute for Religion Research defines a megachurch as any Protestant C ...

(

Southern Baptist The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is a Christian denomination based in the United States. It is the world's largest Baptist denomination, and the largest Protestant and second-largest Christian denomination in the United States. The word ...

) Cross ChurchCross Church website
accessed September 26, 2014. (formerly known as

First Baptist Church of Springdale Cross Church is a Baptist multi-site megachurch based in Springdale, Arkansas. It is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. Across its three campuses, Cross Church is one of the largest churches in the state of Arkansas. The senior pas ...

). They sing in the church choir.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Darr, Mark 1973 births Living people Arkansas politicians convicted of crimes Arkansas Republicans Baptists from Arkansas Businesspeople from Arkansas Insurance agents Lieutenant Governors of Arkansas Mansfield High School (Arkansas) alumni Ouachita Baptist University alumni People from Benton County, Arkansas Politicians from Fort Smith, Arkansas