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

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

from

Springdale, Arkansas Springdale is a city in Washington County, Arkansas, Washington and Benton County, Arkansas, Benton counties in the U.S. state of Arkansas. The city had a population of 84,161 at the 2020 census, making it the List of cities and towns in Arkan ...

, 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 (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

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 Roc ...

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

state Senator A state senator is a member of a State legislature (United States), state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature. History There are typically fewer state senators than there ...

and former

House Speaker The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England. Usage The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hung ...

Shane Broadway 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 Sebastian County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 127,799, making it the fourth-most populous county in Arkansas. The county has two county seats, Greenwood and Fort Smith. Sebastia ...

, Arkansas. He is a graduate of Mansfield High School in

Mansfield Mansfield is a market town and the administrative centre of the Mansfield District in Nottinghamshire, England. It is the largest town in the wider Mansfield Urban Area and the second largest settlement in Nottinghamshire (following the city ...

, Arkansas, and

Ouachita Baptist University Ouachita Baptist University (OBU) is a Private university, private Arkansas Baptist State Convention, Baptist university in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. The university's name is taken from the Ouachita River, Ouachita (pronounced WAH-shi-tah) River, ...

Arkadelphia Arkadelphia is a city in Clark County, Arkansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 10,380. The city is the county seat of Clark County. It is situated at the foothills of the Ouachita Mountains. Two universities, Henders ...

, Arkansas.

Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas

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

North Little Rock North Little Rock (often abbreviated "NLR") is a city in Pulaski County, Arkansas, United States. Located on the north side of the Arkansas River, it is the twin city of Little Rock. In the late nineteenth century, it was annexed by Little Ro ...

, 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, Arkansas, Camden, Hope, Arkansas, Hope, Hot Springs, Arkansas, Hot ...

. 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 politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

Mike Beebe Mickey Dale Beebe (; born December 28, 1946) is an American politician and attorney who served as the List of governors of Arkansas, 45th governor of Arkansas from 2007 to 2015. He is to date the last Democrat to hold that office. Born in Amagon ...

, 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 protect ...

and also co-owns two

restaurant A restaurant is an establishment 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 Delivery (commerce), food delivery services. Restaurants ...

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

megachurch A megachurch is a church with a very large membership that also offers a variety of educational and social activities. Most megachurches are Evangelical, although the term denotes a type of organization, not a denomination. A megachurch draws 2 ...

(

Southern Baptist The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), alternatively the Great Commission Baptists (GCB), is a Christian denomination based in the United States. It is the world's largest Baptist organization, the largest Protestantism in the United States, Pr ...

) 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, United States. 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 ...

). 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