Political Career
In the run-up to the 2006 Arkansas elections, Halter initially ran for Governor of Arkansas but dropped out in March 2006 and instead ran successfully for lieutenant governor. He won a Democratic primary election run-off against Tim Wooldridge and then defeated Jim L. Holt of Springdale, a conservative former Republican state legislator and Southern Baptist minister, in the general election. In 2007, there was speculation that Halter would run for the United States Senate against incumbent Mark Pryor in 2008, but Halter did not run. Halter is the Chairman of the Democratic Lieutenant Governors Association and of the Southern Region of the National Lieutenant Governors Association.
On March 1, 2010, Halter announced his candidacy in the 2010 U.S. Senate election, challenging two-term incumbent Blanche Lincoln in the Democratic primary. After one month of fund-raising, the Halter campaign announced that they had raised more than $2 million. On May 18, 2010, Halter and a minor third candidate prevented Lincoln from polling over 50% of the vote, thus triggering a runoff on June 8 between Lincoln and Halter, which Lincoln won.
Halter has been described as an outspoken supporter of gay rights and a "classic populist, progressive Democrat".
Read more about this topic: Bill Halter
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