Andy Mayberry

Andy Joseph Mayberry (born September 21, 1970) is a journalist and advertising executive who is a Republican former member of the Arkansas House of Representatives for Saline County and Pulaski counties in central Arkansas. He authored the Arkansas law, passed over the veto of then Governor Mike Beebe, which bans abortion after twenty weeks of gestation.

In his second term in the legislature, Mayberry was an unsuccessful candidate in 2014 for Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas.^[1] He lost the Republican primary election on May 20, 2014 to U.S. Representative Tim Griffin of Arkansas's 2nd congressional district.^[2] Griffin then won the lieutenant governorship in the general election.

Mayberry was succeeded in the legislature by his wife, Julie Ann Weidner Mayberry.

Background

Mayberry was born in Pine Bluff in Jefferson County, Arkansas,^[3] and reared in Sheridan in Grant County. He graduated from Sheridan High School. He received a President's Scholarship to Henderson State University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas, from which he procured his Bachelor of Arts in journalism. He was named to Who's Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges. He was affiliated with Sigma Tau Gamma fraternity and editor of the Henderson State student newspaper. He also worked in campus radio and was a full-time sports editor of the Arkadelphia Daily Siftings Herald.^[4]

Political life

Mayberry is a former communications director for the Arkansas Economic Development Commission, a panel established in 1955 to recruit industries to relocate to the state. The late Governor Winthrop Rockefeller was the first executive director of the AEDC. Mayberry worked in communications for Alltel, a former member of the Fortune 500 and for Baptist Health, the largest health care provider in Arkansas.^[4] In 2000, he ran unsuccessfully for the District 51 seat in the Arkansas House.^[3] In 2006, he was the Republican nominee for Arkansas' 2nd congressional district, a position which he lost to the Democrat Vic Snyder, 124,871 (60.5 percent) to 81,432 (39.5 percent).^[5]

In 2010, Mayberry defeated the Democrat Vicky Morris, 5,660 (70.7 percent) to 2,346 (29.3 percent) to win the state House District 27 seat vacated by another Democrat, Dawn Creekmore.^[6]

Mayberry ran in the primary election in May 2014 for the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor. The Republican incumbent, Mark Darr, had resigned from office in a financial scandal. Darr had entered the contest for Arkansas' 4th congressional district^[1] seat vacated after one term by Republican Tom Cotton but soon withdrew from that race as well. Cotton went on to unseat handily the Democrat U.S. Senator Mark Pryor in 2014. Arkansas Highway Commissioner John Burkhalter, a Democrat, lost the race for lieutenant governor to the Republican nominee, Tim Griffin.^[1]

Personal life

Mayberry is affiliated with Lions International and the Arkansas Right to Life Committee. He serves on the board of directors "I CAN!", a non-profit organization that provides activities for children with disabilities. He is a past chairman of Maple Creek Farms Property Owners Association and a member of the National Rifle Association.^[4]

Mayberry and his wife own the Mayberry Advertising Agency and The East Ender newspaper in East End in Saline County. They previously roduced the Christian publications, The Spirit of Saline County and The Spirit Magazine, distributed to residents without charge. Mrs. Mayberry is a former co-host in Little Rock of KATV's Daybreak morning news program and is director of the "I CAN!" dance program for special-needs children. The Mayberrys have four daughters and are members of East Union Missionary Baptist Church in Little Rock.^[4] The legislative website lists Mayberry's address as Hensley in Pulaski County.^[3][7]

References