Donnie Ray Copeland (born March 16, 1961) is an American pastor and politician. He is the pastor of the Apostolic
Pentecostal
Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestantism, Protestant Charismatic Christianity, Charismatic Christian movement[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 ...]
, Arkansas.
From 2015 through 2017, he served one term as a
Republican member of the
Arkansas House of Representatives
The Arkansas State House of Representatives is the lower house of the Arkansas General Assembly, the state legislature of the US state of Arkansas. The House is composed of 100 members elected from an equal amount of constituencies across the ...
for District 38 in
Pulaski County.
[
]
Early career
Copeland attended the University of Louisiana at Monroe, when the institution was known as Northeast Louisiana University.
In 2010, Copeland polled 60,072 votes (48.1 percent) in the Republican primary election
Primary elections, or direct primary are a voting process by which voters can indicate their preference for their party's candidate, or a candidate in general, in an upcoming general election, local election, or by-election. Depending on the ...
for 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 ...
, having lost to Mark Darr
Mark A. Darr (born July 3, 1973) is an American politician from Springdale, Arkansas, who was his state's 19th lieutenant governor from 2011 to 2014. A member of the Republican Party, he was elected in 2010 to succeed Democrat Bill Halter. To ...
, who received 64,883 votes (51.9 percent). Darr then defeated in the general election the Democrat 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, ...
for the seat vacated by another Democrat, 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 Rock ...
.[
]
House of Representatives
In 2014, Copeland won the House position with 5,710 votes (51.5 percent), when he unseated the one-term Democrat Patti Julian
Patti Julian is an American lawyer and a Democratic former one-term member of the Arkansas House of Representatives for District 38 in Pulaski County.
Education
Julian earned her accounting degree from the University of Arkansas and earned h ...
, who polled 5,389 votes (48.5 percent).[ In his legislative term, Copeland served on these committees: (1) City, County and Local Affairs, (2) Judiciary, and (3) Public Retirement and Social Security.][ English then defeated the Democrat Joe Woodson, also of North Little Rock, in the November 8 general election, 21,497 votes (58 percent) to 15,541 (42 percent).]
References
1961 births
Living people
Republican Party members of the Arkansas House of Representatives
American clergy
American Pentecostals
Politicians from Monroe, Louisiana
Politicians from North Little Rock, Arkansas
University of Louisiana at Monroe alumni
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