As an Arkansas gubernatorial candidate running in the state's May 22 Democratic Primary, Little Rock resident Jared Henderson dropped by Texarkana on Sunday armed with two reasons for entering the race.
"First of all, I'm running in this race because I believe the Democratic Party, in Arkansas, is going to stand back up in this election," Henderson, 39, said. "The second reason is that I'm hopeful and optimistic that I can win."
As a graduate of the University of Arkansas and Harvard University graduate and a former National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) research scientist, Henderson told a group of residents gathered at the Arkansas-side's Cafe 511 that even though its seems like his party hasn't won an election in a quarter -century, that isn't the case.
"While it may feel like it's been 25 years since we won an election, the truth is that its only been about six or seven years," he said.
"Miller County is about the 41st county in Arkansas that I've now visited since I started in this race. When I started, I had to learn quickly to tell people that I'm running to win this race. I believe this state has more untapped potential then any state in the union when it comes to greatness."
Having become a father for the first time in his life 18 months ago when his son Duke was born, Henderson, who now owns a medical practice in Little Rock with his wife, Dr. Melanie Prince, said that his family background didn't necessarily suggest that he would ever run for state leadership.
"I was born to an unmarried teenage mom, but she put me up for adoption and I learned a lot from my grandmother, who raised three daughters," he said. "She also worked a lifetime at Kroger for a living wage and she lived to be 96 years old. Her life values made me a Democrat and to this day our party still tries to ensure that people get a decent living wage."
If elected, Henderson said he would concentrate on four main areas-public education, economic development, health care and cutting the state's child poverty rate.
"Right now, Arkansas ranks as about the third or fourth state in the union with the highest child poverty rate and we have a high rate of teen pregnancy," he said. "When it comes to public education, our teachers need to be the best in the state and when it comes to jobs and economic development, Gov. Asa Hutchison is trying to recruit businesses to come to our state but I think we need to start here from the ground up and grow our on businesses."
Following his presentation, Henderson took questions from his audience and said he would be back to visit.