Mark Lowery
Mark Lowery (Republican Party) was the Arkansas Treasurer. He assumed office on January 10, 2023. He left office on July 26, 2023.
Lowery (Republican Party) ran for election for Arkansas Treasurer. He won in the general election on November 8, 2022.
Lowery also ran for election for Arkansas Secretary of State. He did not appear on the ballot for the Republican primary on May 24, 2022.
Lowrey served as State Representative for Arkansas House of Representatives District 39 from 2013-2023. In 2017, Lowery sponsored a law that reinstated a requirement that voters show photo identification before voting. The Arkansas Supreme Court struck down an earlier version of a photo identification law but in 2018 upheld Lowery’s revision.[1]
Lowery died on July 26, 2023.[2]
Biography
Mark Lowery earned a master's degree in communication from the University of Arkansas in 2000. Lowery's career experience includes owning Lowery Communication and Management and working as a lecturer with the University of Central Arkansas and the executive director of NAIFA - Arkansas.[3] He has served on the board of the North Little Rock Chamber of Commerce.[4]
Elections
2022
Arkansas Treasurer
See also: Arkansas Treasurer election, 2022
General election
General election for Arkansas Treasurer
Mark Lowery defeated Pam Whitaker in the general election for Arkansas Treasurer on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Mark Lowery (R) | 66.3 | 592,634 |
 | Pam Whitaker (D)  | 33.7 | 301,600 | |
| Total votes: 894,234 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Pam Whitaker advanced from the Democratic primary for Arkansas Treasurer.
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Arkansas Treasurer
Mark Lowery defeated Mathew Pitsch in the Republican primary for Arkansas Treasurer on May 24, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Mark Lowery | 74.8 | 239,360 |
 | Mathew Pitsch | 25.2 | 80,565 | |
| Total votes: 319,925 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Arkansas Secretary of State
See also: Arkansas Secretary of State election, 2022
General election
General election for Arkansas Secretary of State
Incumbent John Thurston defeated Anna Beth Gorman in the general election for Arkansas Secretary of State on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | John Thurston (R) | 67.0 | 600,194 |
 | Anna Beth Gorman (D) | 33.0 | 294,970 | |
| Total votes: 895,164 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Arkansas Secretary of State
Anna Beth Gorman defeated Joshua Price in the Democratic primary for Arkansas Secretary of State on May 24, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Anna Beth Gorman | 58.6 | 52,762 |
 | Joshua Price | 41.4 | 37,280 | |
| Total votes: 90,042 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for Arkansas Secretary of State
Incumbent John Thurston defeated Eddie Joe Williams in the Republican primary for Arkansas Secretary of State on May 24, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | John Thurston | 72.1 | 236,974 |
 | Eddie Joe Williams | 27.9 | 91,721 | |
| Total votes: 328,695 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Mark Lowery (R)
2020
See also: Arkansas House of Representatives elections, 2020
General election
General election for Arkansas House of Representatives District 39
Incumbent Mark Lowery defeated Kayla Applegate in the general election for Arkansas House of Representatives District 39 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Mark Lowery (R) | 52.9 | 7,838 |
 | Kayla Applegate (D) | 47.1 | 6,966 | |
| Total votes: 14,804 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Kayla Applegate advanced from the Democratic primary for Arkansas House of Representatives District 39.
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Incumbent Mark Lowery advanced from the Republican primary for Arkansas House of Representatives District 39.
2018
General election
General election for Arkansas House of Representatives District 39
Incumbent Mark Lowery defeated Monica Ball in the general election for Arkansas House of Representatives District 39 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Mark Lowery (R) | 54.4 | 6,069 |
 | Monica Ball (D) | 45.6 | 5,082 | |
| Total votes: 11,151 (100.00% precincts reporting) | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Arkansas House of Representatives District 39
Monica Ball defeated Joshua Price in the Democratic primary for Arkansas House of Representatives District 39 on May 22, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Monica Ball | 67.1 | 1,017 |
| Joshua Price | 32.9 | 498 | |
| Total votes: 1,515 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for Arkansas House of Representatives District 39
Incumbent Mark Lowery advanced from the Republican primary for Arkansas House of Representatives District 39 on May 22, 2018.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | Mark Lowery |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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2016
Ballotpedia's analysis revealed that only 42 of the 100 seats up for election in 2016 involved competition between Democrats and Republicans. This made it numerically impossible for Democrats to take control of either Arkansas legislative chamber in 2016.
The reason for the low competition was that candidates were in safe districts for their parties. Between 1972 and 2014, an upward trend in uncontested state legislative elections occurred.
The Democratic Party of Arkansas focused its 2016 efforts on the state’s House of Representatives. Without the numbers to win the state Senate, H.L. Moody, communications director for the Democratic Party of Arkansas, told Ballotpedia that the party’s goal was to “start building back where we can,” beginning with the House.
Ballotpedia spoke to political analyst Richard Winger, who said that the early primary deadline for the 2016 elections was a possible factor as well, making it difficult for Democrats to recruit candidates early.
The primary election was held on March 1, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing period began at noon local time on November 2, 2015, and ended at noon local time on November 9, 2015.[5]
Incumbent Mark Lowery defeated Bill Rahn in the Arkansas House of Representatives District 39 general election.[6]
| Arkansas House of Representatives, District 39 General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Mark Lowery Incumbent |
54.04% | 7,318 | |
| Democratic | Bill Rahn | 45.96% | 6,223 | |
| Total Votes | 13,541 | |||
| Source: Arkansas Secretary of State | ||||
Bill Rahn ran unopposed in the Arkansas House of Representatives District 39 Democratic Primary.[7][8]
| Arkansas House of Representatives, District 39 Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Democratic | Bill Rahn (unopposed) | |
Incumbent Mark Lowery ran unopposed in the Arkansas House of Representatives District 39 Republican Primary.[7][8]
| Arkansas House of Representatives, District 39 Republican Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Republican | Mark Lowery Incumbent (unopposed) | |
2014
Elections for the Arkansas House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election took place on May 20, 2014; a runoff election took place where necessary on June 10, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was March 3, 2014. Incumbent Mark Lowery was unopposed in the Republican primary and was unchallenged in the general election.[9][10]
2012
Lowery ran in the 2012 election for Arkansas House of Representatives, District 39. Lowery defeated Joshua Clausen in the May 22 Republican primary and defeated Kelly Halstead (D) in the general election on November 6, 2012.[11][12][13]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mark Lowery |
52.4% | 6,687 | |
| Democratic | Kelly Halstead | 47.6% | 6,071 | |
| Total Votes | 12,758 | |||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
Mark Lowery |
50.3% | 806 |
| Joshua Clausen | 49.7% | 797 |
| Total Votes | 1,603 | |
Campaign themes
2022
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Mark Lowery did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.
2020
Mark Lowery did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
2018
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Mark Lowery completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Lowery's responses.
What would be your top three priorities, if elected?
Continue my work in ensuring that public education funding is directed to student improvement and not to school district fund balances. Strengthen the rights of fathers in custody arrangements of minor children. Broaden the availability of school choice options to families throughout the state of Arkansas.
What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?
I am personally passionate about education - both at the k-12 level and higher education.
Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?
I greatly respect the political leadership and demeanor of Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah. I have always admired his ability to remain calm during intense political battles.
What was your very first job? How long did you have it?
My first job was as a photographer and sports writer for the Jacksonville Daily News and Sherwood Voice.
What is your favorite book? Why?
My favorite book is "The Shack" because it so clearly demonstrates - in a fictional approach - the grace and mercy of God.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
Issues
ESG
| Environmental, social, and corporate governance |
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| Select a topic from the dropdown below to learn more. |
Lowery took positions opposing environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG), an approach to investing and corporate decision-making.
State financial officers, including treasurers, auditors, and controllers, are responsible for auditing other government offices, managing payroll, and overseeing pensions. In some states, certain SFOs are also responsible for investing state retirement and trust funds.
Lowery said, “We have to be careful to not invest in this ESG. I don’t know if you are familiar with it, but you can only invest in companies that are environmentally, socially, or globally competent. We need to invest in companies that are making the best return for the state of Arkansas. I pledge to you that I will do that.”[14]
Removal of state funds from BlackRock (March 2022)
In March 2022, Arkansas State Treasurer Dennis Milligan (R) announced he was removing $125 million in Arkansas state-managed investments from BlackRock, an asset management firm. A representative for Milligan cited BlackRock’s reliance on ESG factors in its investment strategy as the reason for the state’s disinvestment.[15]
Lowery endorsed Milligan’s decision, saying: “I congratulate Treasurer Dennis Milligan in disinvesting Arkansas from any BlackRock investments after revelation of their ties to the Communist Chinese military."[16]
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
State legislative tenure
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Arkansas scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
2022
In 2022, the Arkansas State Legislature was in session from February 14 to March 15.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to small business issues.
2021
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2021, click [show]. |
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In 2021, the Arkansas State Legislature was in session from January 11 to October 15.
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2020
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2020, click [show]. |
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In 2020, the Arkansas State Legislature was in session from April 8 to April 24.
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2019
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2019, click [show]. |
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In 2019, the Arkansas State Legislature was in session from January 14 through April 24.
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2018
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2018, click [show]. |
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In 2018, the Arkansas State Legislature was in session from February 12 through March 12. The legislature held a special session from March 13 to March 15.
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2017
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2017, click [show]. |
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In 2017, the 91st Arkansas State Legislature was in session from January 9 through May 1. The Legislature held a special session from May 1 to May 3.
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2016
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2016, click [show]. |
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In 2016, the 90th Arkansas State Legislature was in session from April 13 through May 9. The Legislature held a three-day special session from April 6 to April 8 over healthcare. The Legislature held a second special session from May 19 to May 23 over transportation.
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2015
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2015, click [show]. |
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In 2015, the 90th Arkansas State Legislature was in session from January 12 through April 2.
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2014
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2014, click [show]. |
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In 2014, the Arkansas General Assembly was in session from February 10 to March 20. Ballotpedia staff did not find any state legislative scorecards published for this state in 2014. If you are aware of one, please contact editor@ballotpedia.org to let us know. |
2013
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2013, click [show]. |
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In 2013, the 89th Arkansas State Legislature was in session from January 14 through May 17.
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Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Committee assignments
Note: This membership information was last updated in September 2023. Ballotpedia completes biannual updates of committee membership. If you would like to send us an update, email us at: editor@ballotpedia.org.
2021-2022
Lowery was assigned to the following committees:
- House Education Committee
- House Insurance and Commerce Committee, Chair
- Joint Performance Review Committee
- Legislative Council
2019-2020
Lowery was assigned to the following committees:
- Legislative Council
- Joint Performance Review Committee
- House Education Committee
- House Insurance and Commerce Committee, Chairperson
2017 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:
| Arkansas committee assignments, 2017 |
|---|
| • Education |
| • Insurance and Commerce |
| • Joint Budget |
| • Joint Budget |
| • Joint Performance Review, Chair |
| • Joint Performance Review, Chair |
2015 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Lowery served on the following committees:
| Arkansas committee assignments, 2015 |
|---|
| • Education |
| • Insurance and Commerce |
| • Rules |
| • Legislative Council, Vice chair |
2013-2014
At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Lowery served on the following committees:
| Arkansas committee assignments, 2013 |
|---|
| • Joint Performance Review |
| • Education |
| • City, County and Local Affairs |
See also
2022 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ ‘‘Associated Press’’, “Voter ID law sponsor now running for Arkansas treasurer,” January 21, 2022
- ↑ KARK, "Arkansas State Treasurer Mark Lowery dies at the age of 66," accessed July 26, 2023
- ↑ LinkedIn, "Mark Lowery," accessed November 28, 2022
- ↑ Mark Lowery for Arkansas Secretary of State, "Home," accessed November 28, 2022
- ↑ Arkansas Secretary of State, "2016 Election Dates," accessed November 17, 2015
- ↑ Arkansas Secretary of State, "2016 General Election and Nonpartisan Runoff Election," accessed November 23, 2016
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Arkansas Secretary of State, "Candidate Information," accessed July 25, 2016
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Arkansas Secretary of State, "2016 Primary Election Results," accessed April 19, 2016
- ↑ Arkansas Secretary of State, "Candidate Information," accessed March 5, 2014
- ↑ Arkansas Secretary of State, "Official primary election results," accessed June 26, 2014
- ↑ Arkansas Secretary of State, "Election Results 2012," accessed November 7, 2012
- ↑ Arkansas Secretary of State, "2012 Election candidates," March 8, 2012
- ↑ Arkansas Secretary of State, "Arkansas State Primary Election, May 22, 2012," accessed July 11, 2012
- ↑ ‘‘Hot Springs Village People’’, “Arkansas State Republican Candidates Addressed HSV Residents,” April 3, 2022
- ↑ ‘‘Arkansas Democrat Gazette’’, “Arkansas state treasurer yanks about $125M out of accounts managed by BlackRock,” March 17, 2022
- ↑ ‘‘Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette’’, “Arkansas state treasurer yanks about $125 million out of accounts managed by BlackRock,” March 19, 2022
- ↑ Ballotpedia, "Arkansas's Freedom Scorecard," accessed July 10, 2017
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Dennis Milligan (R) |
Arkansas Treasurer 2023-2023 |
Succeeded by Larry Walther (R) |
| Preceded by - |
Arkansas House of Representatives District 39 2013-2023 |
Succeeded by Wayne Long (R) |
 |
State of Arkansas Little Rock (capital) |
|---|---|
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