Beebe announce re-election bid

Gov. Mike Beebe announced Tuesday that he's running for re-election, telling supporters he plans to focus on the economy and education as he seeks a second term.

The Democrat had been widely expected to run again, but had not begun raising money for a re-election bid and had not said in public that he planned to run. No Republicans have declared that they are running against him.

"When I was sworn into office three years ago, I asked for your help and support," Beebe said in an e-mail to supporters. "As far as we've come since then, there is still much more to be done. We've made progress because we've worked together."

Beebe, a former attorney general who served 20 years in the state Senate, defeated Republican Asa Hutchinson, a former congressman and federal Homeland Security official, in the 2006 election.

The governor's re-election campaign is in its early stages and has less than half a dozen workers on staff, said Zac Wright, a senior campaign adviser to Beebe. Wright said jobs and education would be a focus of the campaign, but didn't offer any details on proposals the governor would make in his re-election bid.

Beebe has enjoyed high approval ratings since taking office and has seen most of his legislative priorities approved by lawmakers. He has cut the state's sales tax on groceries and signed into law increased education funding that helped end a long-running court fight over school financing.

A drop in tax collections, however, has put the state in a financial pinch as legislators prepare for this year's session. Beebe last week cut $106 million from this year's budget and said that state workers would not get a raise under the proposed budget for the coming fiscal year.

He also faced opposition from some Republicans in the Legislature over his push last year to raise the state's tobacco tax to pay for a statewide trauma system and other health programs.

State GOP Chairman Doyle Webb said in a statement released by the party that he was confident Republicans would field a candidate who would focus on issues such as job creation, taxes and spending priorities.

Beebe has been in a better position politically than Democrats in his state's congressional delegation. Nine Republicans have announced they are seeking the GOP nomination to challenge Democratic U.S. Sen. Blanche Lincoln, and U.S. Rep. Vic Snyder, a Democrat, announced last week he would not run for re-election.

A poll by the University of Arkansas last year said that 70 percent of those surveyed said they approve of Beebe's job performance as governor.