POLITICS
GET TO KNOW THE CANDIDATES JESSE GIBSON, TIM GRIFFIN, LEON JONES, JOSH PRICE By AMP Staff
Each month through the primary elections in May, AMP will visit with the candidates for Arkansas’ constitutional and federal offices in 2022. This month, we are featuring Democratic Secretary of State candidate Josh Price as well as the three candidates seeking to replace Leslie Rutledge as the state’s Attorney General: Republicans Tim Griffin and Leon Jones and Democrat Jesse Gibson. Each month through May, a different group of candidates will be featured.
ATTORNEY GENERAL Tim Griffin (R) is the current Arkansas Lieutenant Governor. He was elected in 2014 and re-elected in 2018. The Magnolia native represented Arkansas’ Second District in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2011-15 and served as U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas from 2006-07. He is a graduate of Hendrix College and Tulane Law School. AMP: Why are you running? Griffin: I’m running for attorney general because Arkansas needs effective, conservative leadership during these unpredictable times. With all that is happening in Washington, D.C., we need an attorney general who will push back against federal overreach, particularly from the Biden-Harris administration. Washington will continue to encroach more and more on the affairs of the states unless attorneys general push back and stand up for Arkansans. We also have a crisis with police in this country, and I intend to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with and support the brave men and women in law enforcement who serve our state. The far left has done our nation a tremendous disservice by eroding public support for our police and in some cases even trying to defund them. Police morale is at an all-time low at the same time that violent crime is spiking. I’ll make sure our police are properly supported, both in word and deed. Third, we need to keep violent criminals off our streets. Violent crime is rising all across the country, and Arkansas is no exception. We are at a 30-year high for violent crime statewide, and Little Rock is experiencing its deadliest year in a decade. Part of the problem is our parole system is broken and needs fixing. The number of crimes committed in Arkansas by criminals out on parole is a scandal and must be addressed immediately. DEC E M BER 2 02 1
We should never let dangerous criminals out of prison simply because we don’t have enough bed space. I’ll work with partners in the nonprofit space to reduce recidivism and work with our legislature to make sure our laws better reflect truth in sentencing. AMP: What do you bring to the field? Griffin: First, I’m the only conservative in this race. My conservative views reflect the views and values of Arkansas voters, and I have a voting record and a track record of bold conservative leadership to back that up. On issues ranging from the right to life and Second Amendment to tax relief and cutting wasteful spending, my record is solidly conservative. For example, I made the case for getting rid of our state income tax when no one else was, and now it is Republican orthodoxy in Arkansas. Secondly, I believe my experience sets me apart from the other candidates. I’m prepared to step into this job on day one, and I won’t need any training wheels. I’ve been a U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas. I also served in Congress on the House Ways and Means Committee and as Deputy Whip. As lieutenant governor for the past eight years, I’ve reduced my staff by over 50 percent and reduced my own budget. I currently serve as a colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve; I’ve commanded troops and have served as a Judge Advocate General (JAG) officer for over 25 years. I’ll draw on all those experiences and leverage them to benefit our state as attorney general. AMP: What’s the biggest issue right now pertaining to the AG’s office? Griffin: It’s a combination of pushing back on federal overreach in Washington and keeping our communities safe here in Arkansas. Washington tends to try and take more and more power away from the states regardless of which president is in office, but it’s especially pressing with Joe Biden in the White House because so many issues are potentially affected including the Second Amendment, religious freedom and overly burdensome regulation in areas like energy and agriculture. 1 24
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