Gilbert Baker (Arkansas politician)
Encyclopedia
Gilbert R. Baker is a Republican
State Senator from Arkansas
' 30th District. In 2010, Baker was an unsuccessful candidate for the United States Senate
seat formerly held by the Democrat
Blanche Lincoln
. He has been a member of the Arkansas State Senate since 2001.
Baker holds degrees from Louisiana Tech University
in Ruston
, Louisiana
. and the University of Arizona
in Tucson
, Arizona
.
. He joined a crowded GOP field, including his senatorial colleague Kim Hendren
, to challenge Lincoln. Polls showed discontent with Lincoln's Senate performance and voting record. A poll taken November 5, 2009, showed Lincoln with a 43 percent job-approval rating, nearly 9 points down from her 2008 approval rating.
After announcing, Baker was endorsed by twenty-three members of the State House and Senate.
Baker won a December 5, 2009, straw poll
in Hot Springs
, measuring 35 percent of the vote in a field of seven.
He was considered to have been the front-runner until Congressman John Boozman
entered the race and won the nomination and subsequentally the general election, Baker finished in third in the primary behind Boozman and former State Senator Jim Holt, a Baptist minister from Springdale
.
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
State Senator from Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
' 30th District. In 2010, Baker was an unsuccessful candidate for the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
seat formerly held by the Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
Blanche Lincoln
Blanche Lincoln
Blanche Meyers Lambert Lincoln is a former U.S. Senator from Arkansas and a member of the Democratic Party. First elected to the Senate in 1998, she was the first woman elected to the Senate from Arkansas since Hattie Caraway in 1932 and, at age 38, was the youngest woman ever elected to the...
. He has been a member of the Arkansas State Senate since 2001.
Baker holds degrees from Louisiana Tech University
Louisiana Tech University
Louisiana Tech University, often referred to as Louisiana Tech, LA Tech, or Tech, is a coeducational public research university located in Ruston, Louisiana. Louisiana Tech is designated as a Tier 1 school in the national universities category by the 2012 U.S. News & World Report college rankings...
in Ruston
Ruston, Louisiana
Ruston is a city in and the parish seat of Lincoln Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 20,546 at the 2000 census. Ruston is near the eastern border of the Ark-La-Tex and is the home of Louisiana Tech University. Its economy caters to its college population...
, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
. and the University of Arizona
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...
in Tucson
Tucson, Arizona
Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...
, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
.
Candidacy for United States Senate
In September 2009, Baker announced his intentions to run for the United States SenateUnited States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
. He joined a crowded GOP field, including his senatorial colleague Kim Hendren
Kim Hendren
Kim D. Hendren is the Republican minority leader and the chairman of the Energy Committee of the Arkansas State Senate. A native and resident of Gravette in Benton County in northwestern Arkansas, Hendren represents District 9. He is a former Democrat in the most Republican part of the state....
, to challenge Lincoln. Polls showed discontent with Lincoln's Senate performance and voting record. A poll taken November 5, 2009, showed Lincoln with a 43 percent job-approval rating, nearly 9 points down from her 2008 approval rating.
After announcing, Baker was endorsed by twenty-three members of the State House and Senate.
Baker won a December 5, 2009, straw poll
Straw poll
A straw poll or straw vote is a vote with nonbinding results. Straw polls provide dialogue among movements within large groups, reflecting trends like organization and motivation...
in Hot Springs
Hot Springs, Arkansas
Hot Springs is the 10th most populous city in the U.S. state of Arkansas, the county seat of Garland County, and the principal city of the Hot Springs Metropolitan Statistical Area encompassing all of Garland County...
, measuring 35 percent of the vote in a field of seven.
He was considered to have been the front-runner until Congressman John Boozman
John Boozman
John Nichols Boozman is the junior U.S. Senator for Arkansas . A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the U.S. Representative for .Born in Shreveport, Louisiana, he was the brother of state Senator Fay Boozman...
entered the race and won the nomination and subsequentally the general election, Baker finished in third in the primary behind Boozman and former State Senator Jim Holt, a Baptist minister from Springdale
Springdale, Arkansas
As of the census of 2010, there were 69,797 people, 22,805 households, and 16,640 families residing in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 64.7% White, 0.82% Black or African American, 1.8% Native American, 1.4% Asian, 5.7% Pacific Islander, 22% from other races, and 2.9% from two or more...
.