Jimmie Lou Fisher
Encyclopedia
Jimmie Lou Fisher grew up in Paragould, Arkansas
. She attended school at Delaplaine School in Delaplaine, Arkansas
. She, at a very early age, became interested in politics, and aspired to be successful. She graduated from Vilonia
High School, and attended Arkansas State College
in Jonesboro, Arkansas
, and after graduating went on to hold a number of jobs, and was a party activists for over a decade. She has described herself as lifelong, diehard, yellow dog Democrat
. http://www.anythingarkansas.com/arkapedia/pedia/fff.html
, appointed her Auditor of State.
Aside from that, she was very active in Democratic politics at the same time. She served as Vice Chairman of the Arkansas Democratic State Committee from 1976-1978 and went on to serve as a member of the Democratic National Committee
during the same time period, 1976-1978. In 1978, she helped run then Arkansas Attorney General Bill Clinton's ultimately successful run for governor, serving as his 1st Congressional District Coordinator. http://www.cahra.info/LegAffairs/fisherbio.htm
). She then went on to win three two-year terms as State Treasurer, and four four-year terms, serving a total of 22 years as State Treasurer, making her the longest serving State Treasurer in the history of Arkansas
, and placing her among its longest serving statewide officials.
In 1987 she served as Vice President for the Southern Region of the National Association of State Auditors, Comptrollers and Treasurers. Later, in 1990, she served as President of the National Association of State Treasurers.
Mrs. Fisher was a very active State Treasurer. In 1995 she was a delegate to the White House Conference on Aging, and was later appointed to the Rural Telephone Commission by President Bill Clinton.
While Treasurer, Mrs. Fisher served as a member of the board of Arkansas Development Finance Authority, the Arkansas Public Employees Retirement System Board, the Arkansas Teacher Retirement System Board, and was a member and Secretary of the Arkansas State Board of Finance. http://wasearch.loc.gov/e22k/20020702210840/http://www.jimmieloufisher.com/bio1.htm
, because they felt that she was the strongest candidate possible. They didn't want to allow the highly popular Huckabee to blow past the opposition to another term as he had done 1998, when he easily defeated the Democratic candidate in what was an embarrissingly large defeat for the Democratic Party. Determined not to let that happen again, the Democratic Party came to Fisher. Fisher was not able to run for another term for State Treasurer because of the 1994 term-limits law that voters had passed. Because of this, Fisher reluctantly agreed to take on Huckabee. Despite her reluctance to enter the race originally, Fisher ran an incredibly strong and active campaign. She raised over $1 million, and campaigned hard across the state.
She hit Huckabee hard on Education with her REACH proposal. This came at a time where Huckabee was very vulnerable on that issue due to public frustration about poor education funding for rural schools. Other highlights of her campaign included: ethics accountability, prescription drug relief for seniors, Economic Growth and raising the minimum wage, crime, (during a time when Huckabee was being slammed due to questionable pardons, including one that left two woman dead in Missouri), and fiscal responsibility. http://wasearch.loc.gov/e22k/20021101114505/http://www.jimmieloufisher.com/comparison.htm
Polling showed the race slowly narrowing, but Fisher was unable to cut into Huckabee's lead enough to win. Huckabee was also helped by the positive political wave for Republicans that swept through nation the that year, though it did little to save incumbent U.S. Senator Tim Hutchinson
, from his loss, by a 54 percent to 46 percent margin, to then Attorney General Mark Pryor
. In the end Fisher performed very well, far better than the Democrats' 1998 candidate. Fisher managed to hold the personally popular Mike Huckabee to a margin of victory of 53 percent to 47 percent, giving him a real race, which was just what the Democratic Party had hoped for when it pushed her into the race.
of Jonesboro, who recently won an incredibly close race against North Little Rock City Attorney Paul Suskie for the Democratic nomination for Attorney General. This was thought by many political experts to be the biggest boost to McDaniel's campaign, even bigger than the endorsements of dozens of former presidents of the Arkansas State Bar Association, signifying Fisher's prominence among Democrats in the state. http://www.dustinmcdaniel.com/pr4.htm
had a few months before. She first noticed something odd while preparing breakfast that morning. She immediately called her sister, who drove her to a family doctor. He went on to send her straight the emergency room. Later it was determined that it was not progressing, and that she was stable. Those around her have said that she is positive as always, and appears to be doing just fine. Doctors kept her in the hospital for almost a month and a half to keep her under observation, and perform tests. She was later released after she cleared all the tests, and they noted no further symptoms or complications. http://www.arktimes.com/blogs/arkansasblog/2006/04/jimmie_lou_hospitalized.aspx, http://www.arkdems.org/Articles/ArticleViewer.aspx?ArticleID=5b9a3c03-22a1-4db4-aef3-08cf52be99f6.
Paragould, Arkansas
-Health & Education:Paragould is home to Arkansas State University Paragould, Arkansas Northeastern College, Black River Technical College, and Crowley's Ridge College. Paragould has two public school districts, the Greene County Technical School District and the Paragould School District, as well...
. She attended school at Delaplaine School in Delaplaine, Arkansas
Delaplaine, Arkansas
Delaplaine is a town in Greene County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 127 at the 2000 census.-History:Delaplaine was incorporated as a town in April 1912 but has a history that dates back to the time of the French explorations. Early settlers found remains of a French-Indian trading...
. She, at a very early age, became interested in politics, and aspired to be successful. She graduated from Vilonia
Vilonia, Arkansas
Vilonia is a town in Faulkner County, Arkansas, United States. Its population was 2,106 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Little Rock–North Little Rock–Conway Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
High School, and attended Arkansas State College
Arkansas State University
Arkansas State University is a public university and is the flagship campus of the Arkansas State University System, the state's second largest college system and third largest university by enrollment. It is located atop on Crowley's Ridge at Jonesboro, Arkansas, USA...
in Jonesboro, Arkansas
Jonesboro, Arkansas
Jonesboro is a city in and one of the two county seats of Craighead County, Arkansas, United States. According to the 2010 US Census, the population of the city was 67,263. A college town, Jonesboro is the largest city in northeastern Arkansas and the fifth most populous city in the state...
, and after graduating went on to hold a number of jobs, and was a party activists for over a decade. She has described herself as lifelong, diehard, yellow dog Democrat
Yellow dog Democrat
Yellow Dog Democrats was a political term applied to voters in the Southern United States who voted solely for Democratic candidates, with the term commencing in the late 19th century. Due to Republican president Abraham Lincoln's leading the Union against the Confederacy, these voters would...
. http://www.anythingarkansas.com/arkapedia/pedia/fff.html
Early political career
Fisher was elected Treasurer of Greene County, Arkansas, in 1970, and went on to serve four two year terms, until in 1979, when newly elected Governor Bill ClintonBill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
, appointed her Auditor of State.
Aside from that, she was very active in Democratic politics at the same time. She served as Vice Chairman of the Arkansas Democratic State Committee from 1976-1978 and went on to serve as a member of the Democratic National Committee
Democratic National Committee
The Democratic National Committee is the principal organization governing the United States Democratic Party on a day to day basis. While it is responsible for overseeing the process of writing a platform every four years, the DNC's central focus is on campaign and political activity in support...
during the same time period, 1976-1978. In 1978, she helped run then Arkansas Attorney General Bill Clinton's ultimately successful run for governor, serving as his 1st Congressional District Coordinator. http://www.cahra.info/LegAffairs/fisherbio.htm
Other democratic activism
Fisher is noted as one of the major women in Arkansas politics, and one of the better known, and high powered Arkansas Democratic activists. Positions she has held include:- Vice Chairman of Democratic State Committee, 1976-78, Nov.1991-Sept 1993
- Member of Democratic National Committee, 1976-78, and Nov.1991-Sept.1993
- Past President of the Arkansas Democratic Women’s Club
- Delegate to the Democratic National Convention, 1988, 1992, 1996, 2000
- Member of the Credentials Committee, Democratic National Convention 1976
Tenure as State Treasurer
Jimmie Lou Fisher served as Auditor of State for one year. In 1980 she retired to run for State Treasurer when Nancy Hall, the first woman ever elected as a statewide constitutional officer in Arkansas, retired after serving 18 years. Jimmie Lou Fisher easily won the primary due to her powerful connections within the Arkansas Democratic Party. She then went on to win the General Election just as easily, and in doing so, became only the third woman ever to be elected to statewide office in Arkansas (behind Hall and Senator Hattie CarawayHattie Caraway
Hattie Ophelia Wyatt Caraway was the first woman elected to serve as a United States Senator. Senator Caraway represented Arkansas.-Biography:...
). She then went on to win three two-year terms as State Treasurer, and four four-year terms, serving a total of 22 years as State Treasurer, making her the longest serving State Treasurer in the history of 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...
, and placing her among its longest serving statewide officials.
In 1987 she served as Vice President for the Southern Region of the National Association of State Auditors, Comptrollers and Treasurers. Later, in 1990, she served as President of the National Association of State Treasurers.
Mrs. Fisher was a very active State Treasurer. In 1995 she was a delegate to the White House Conference on Aging, and was later appointed to the Rural Telephone Commission by President Bill Clinton.
While Treasurer, Mrs. Fisher served as a member of the board of Arkansas Development Finance Authority, the Arkansas Public Employees Retirement System Board, the Arkansas Teacher Retirement System Board, and was a member and Secretary of the Arkansas State Board of Finance. http://wasearch.loc.gov/e22k/20020702210840/http://www.jimmieloufisher.com/bio1.htm
Awards
Throughout her long career Mrs. Fisher has won many distinguished awards and honors, including:- Arkansas Democratic Party “Gressie Carnes Award” 1979
- Worthen Bank Professional Women’s Advisory Board "Arkansas Professional Women of Distinction Award” 1989
- George C. Douthit “Freedom of Information Award” 1989
- National Association of State Treasurers “Jesse Unruh Award” 1991
- National Association of Democratic Women “Outstanding Elected Democratic Women Holding Public Office Award” 1992
- Arkansas Federation of Democratic Women “Nancy J. Hall Award” 1995
- Arkansas Easter Seal
- “Arkansan of the Year” 1997
- "Top 100 Women in Arkansas" 1997, 1998, 1999
- UALR “Women of Arkansas – Agent of Change Award”, 2000
- Association of Government Accountants “Financial Manager of the Year” 2000
2002 gubernatorial race
In 2002 the Arkansas Democratic Party asked Fisher to be its candidate against Mike HuckabeeMike Huckabee
Michael "Mike" Dale Huckabee is an American politician who served as the 44th Governor of Arkansas from 1996 to 2007. He was a candidate in the 2008 United States Republican presidential primaries, finishing second in delegate count and third in both popular vote and number of states won . He won...
, because they felt that she was the strongest candidate possible. They didn't want to allow the highly popular Huckabee to blow past the opposition to another term as he had done 1998, when he easily defeated the Democratic candidate in what was an embarrissingly large defeat for the Democratic Party. Determined not to let that happen again, the Democratic Party came to Fisher. Fisher was not able to run for another term for State Treasurer because of the 1994 term-limits law that voters had passed. Because of this, Fisher reluctantly agreed to take on Huckabee. Despite her reluctance to enter the race originally, Fisher ran an incredibly strong and active campaign. She raised over $1 million, and campaigned hard across the state.
She hit Huckabee hard on Education with her REACH proposal. This came at a time where Huckabee was very vulnerable on that issue due to public frustration about poor education funding for rural schools. Other highlights of her campaign included: ethics accountability, prescription drug relief for seniors, Economic Growth and raising the minimum wage, crime, (during a time when Huckabee was being slammed due to questionable pardons, including one that left two woman dead in Missouri), and fiscal responsibility. http://wasearch.loc.gov/e22k/20021101114505/http://www.jimmieloufisher.com/comparison.htm
Polling showed the race slowly narrowing, but Fisher was unable to cut into Huckabee's lead enough to win. Huckabee was also helped by the positive political wave for Republicans that swept through nation the that year, though it did little to save incumbent U.S. Senator Tim Hutchinson
Tim Hutchinson
Young Timothy Hutchinson, known as Tim Hutchinson is a Republican politician and former senator from the state of Arkansas.Hutchinson was born in Bentonville, Arkansas, and he graduated from Bob Jones University...
, from his loss, by a 54 percent to 46 percent margin, to then Attorney General Mark Pryor
Mark Pryor
Mark Lunsford Pryor is the senior United States Senator from Arkansas, serving since 2003. He is a member of the Democratic Party and former Attorney General of Arkansas....
. In the end Fisher performed very well, far better than the Democrats' 1998 candidate. Fisher managed to hold the personally popular Mike Huckabee to a margin of victory of 53 percent to 47 percent, giving him a real race, which was just what the Democratic Party had hoped for when it pushed her into the race.
Election history
2002 General Election| Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Mike Huckabee (R) Mike Huckabee Michael "Mike" Dale Huckabee is an American politician who served as the 44th Governor of Arkansas from 1996 to 2007. He was a candidate in the 2008 United States Republican presidential primaries, finishing second in delegate count and third in both popular vote and number of states won . He won... |
427,082 | 53.01 | |
| Jimmie Lou Fisher (D) | 378,250 | 46.95 | |
| Mike Huckabee (R) Mike Huckabee Michael "Mike" Dale Huckabee is an American politician who served as the 44th Governor of Arkansas from 1996 to 2007. He was a candidate in the 2008 United States Republican presidential primaries, finishing second in delegate count and third in both popular vote and number of states won . He won... re-elected to 2nd term |
|||
2006 Democratic Attorney General primary
In 2006 Fisher signed on as Campaign Chairwoman for State Representative Dustin McDanielDustin McDaniel
Dustin McDaniel is the current Attorney General of Arkansas. A member of the Democratic Party, he assumed office on January 9, 2007, succeeding Mike Beebe, who became Governor of Arkansas.- Background :...
of Jonesboro, who recently won an incredibly close race against North Little Rock City Attorney Paul Suskie for the Democratic nomination for Attorney General. This was thought by many political experts to be the biggest boost to McDaniel's campaign, even bigger than the endorsements of dozens of former presidents of the Arkansas State Bar Association, signifying Fisher's prominence among Democrats in the state. http://www.dustinmcdaniel.com/pr4.htm
2006 hospitalization
Fisher was checked into St. Vincent Infirmary Medical Center in Little Rock on the morning of April 12, 2006. She apparently suffered a "mini-stroke" similar to one U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry ReidHarry Reid
Harry Mason Reid is the senior United States Senator from Nevada, serving since 1987. A member of the Democratic Party, he has been the Senate Majority Leader since January 2007, having previously served as Minority Leader and Minority and Majority Whip.Previously, Reid was a member of the U.S...
had a few months before. She first noticed something odd while preparing breakfast that morning. She immediately called her sister, who drove her to a family doctor. He went on to send her straight the emergency room. Later it was determined that it was not progressing, and that she was stable. Those around her have said that she is positive as always, and appears to be doing just fine. Doctors kept her in the hospital for almost a month and a half to keep her under observation, and perform tests. She was later released after she cleared all the tests, and they noted no further symptoms or complications. http://www.arktimes.com/blogs/arkansasblog/2006/04/jimmie_lou_hospitalized.aspx, http://www.arkdems.org/Articles/ArticleViewer.aspx?ArticleID=5b9a3c03-22a1-4db4-aef3-08cf52be99f6.