Candidates for Governor

REPUBLICAN NOMINEE Asa Hutchinson

Age: 67

Birthplace: Bentonville

Residence: Rogers

Family: Wife, Susan; four children

Education: Bachelor’s degree in accounting, Bob Jones University; law degree, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville

Current occupation: Governor Business-political experience: Lawyer in Bentonville, 1975-82; Bentonville city attorney, 1979-80; founded FM radio station in Bentonville, 1981; U.S. attorney for Arkansas’ Western District, 1982-85; lawyer in Fort Smith, 1986-96; chairman of state Republican Party, 1990-95; 3rd District congressman, 1997-2001; administrator of U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, 2001-03; undersecretary for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, 2003-05; partner in Venable law firm, 2005-08; partner in Asa Hutchinson Law Group from 2008-14; owner of the Hutchinson Group security consulting firm, 2008-14

DEMOCRATIC NOMINEE Jared Henderson

Age: 40

Birthplace: Little Rock

Residence: Little Rock

Family: Wife, Melanie Prince; one son

Education: Bachelor’s degree in physics and computer science from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville; master’s degrees in public administration and business administration from Harvard University

Current occupation: Owner of a medical practice with his wife Business-political experience: Research associate at NASA and the operations manager for the NASA Academy, 2001-02; business analyst at McKinsey & Co., 2002-04; director of strategy and organizational growth for Teach for America, 2007-08; Teach for America’s senior vice president of regional operations, 2011-13; executive director of Teach for America in Arkansas from 2013 until June 2017; managing director of ForwARd Arkansas, 2014-15

LIBERTARIAN NOMINEE Mark West

Age: 42

Birthplace: West Memphis

Residence: Batesville

Family: Wife, Kristy; three children

Education: Bachelor’s degree in radio and television broadcasting from Arkansas State University in Jonesboro

Current occupation: Corporate office manager for Mechanical Construction Services in Newark Business-political experience: bank teller in Memphis and youth minister at Union Avenue Baptist Church in Wynne; 2000; pastor at Emmanuel Baptist Church in Batesville from 2001-02; bank teller from 2003-05 and retirement planner from 2005-07 for Citizens Bank in Batesville; pastor, White River Baptist Church in Oil Trough, 2014-18