Mark Martin (politician)

Mark Russell Martin (born February 18, 1968) is a Republican politician who was Secretary of State of Arkansas from January 2011 to January 2019. He is a former three-term member of the Arkansas House of Representatives for District 87 in Washington County in Northwest Arkansas.

Mark Martin
In office January 2005 – January 11, 2011
Preceded by	Sarah Agee
Succeeded by	Justin Harris
Personal details
Born	Mark Russell Martin February 18, 1968 Kansas City, Kansas, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Sharon Tilley
Children	3
Education	University of Arkansas (BS)

Background

A native of Kansas City, Kansas, Martin was reared in the Mississippi River delta country of eastern Arkansas. He graduated from Hughes High School in Hughes in St. Francis County. In 1998, he received a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.[1] While in the United States Navy, Martin was a technician in a nuclear engineering laboratory. He since held numerous technology-oriented positions in private industry prior to the launching of his political career.[2]

Martin and his wife, the former Sharon Marie Tilley (also born 1968), have two daughters and one son. The family attends Legacy Baptist Church of Northwest Arkansas in Rogers. The Martins reside in Prairie Grove in Washington County though his duties often keep him in the capital city of Little Rock.[1]

Political life

Martin was first elected to the Arkansas House in 2004, when he defeated the Democrat Lloyd D. Keck of West Fork in Washington County, 5,738 (55.2 percent) to 4,667 (44.8 percent).[3] As a legislator, Martin served on the Budget, Insurance & Commerce, Education, and Advanced Communication & Information Technology committees and was the chairman of the Economic & Tax Policy Committee.[1] He was one of the first legislative bloggers in Arkansas, writing about his experience through a blog he called "Off the Marble".[4]

In the 2010 general election, Representative Martin defeated the Democrat Pat O'Brien, 392,468 (51.3 percent) to 372,123 (48.7 percent), to win the secretary of state's position vacated by Charlie Daniels, a term-limited Arkansas Democrat.[5] Martin was the first Republican elected to that post since 1872. Reelected in 2014, he defeated former State Election Commissioner Susan Inman of Little Rock with almost 64 percent of the vote.

As Secretary of State, Martin was the chairman of the Arkansas Board of Election Commissioners and the Capitol Arts and Grounds Commission. He was a member of the Arkansas Board of Apportionment. A past board member of several engineering organizations, he also holds membership in the National Rifle Association and the American Legion. He is a member of the Association of Christian Design Professionals.[1]

Electoral history

Arkansas House of Representatives 87th District Republican Primary Election, 2004
Party	Candidate	Votes	%
Republican	Mark Martin	553	71.08
Republican	Leonard Frederick	225	28.92

Arkansas House of Representatives 87th District Election, 2004
Party	Candidate	Votes	%
Republican	Mark Martin	5,738	55.15
Democratic	Lloyd Keck	4,667	44.85

Arkansas House of Representatives 87th District Election, 2006
Party	Candidate	Votes	%
Republican	Mark Martin (inc.)	4,715	61.32
Independent	Jimmie Johnson	2,974	38.68

Arkansas House of Representatives 87th District Election, 2008
Party	Candidate	Votes	%
Republican	Mark Martin (inc.)	6,441	58.82
Democratic	Earl Hunton	4,510	41.18

Arkansas Secretary of State Election, 2010
Party	Candidate	Votes	%
Republican	Mark Martin	392,468	51.33
Democratic	Pat O'Brien	372,123	48.67

Arkansas Secretary of State Election, 2014
Party	Candidate	Votes	%
Republican	Mark Martin (inc.)	506,384	60.61
Democratic	Susan Inman	292,878	35.06
Libertarian	Jacob Holloway	36,159	4.33

References

1. "Mark Martin Biography". sos.arkansas.gov. Archived from the original on September 22, 2013. Retrieved December 10, 2013.
2. "Mark Martin". ballotpedia.org. Retrieved December 10, 2013.
3. "State Representative District 087 - Certified, November 2, 2004". sos.arkansas.gov. Retrieved December 10, 2013.
4. "Lost his marbles". Arkansas Times. Retrieved August 6, 2014.
5. "Secretary of State - Certified, November 2010". sos.arkansas.gov. Retrieved December 10, 2013.