Become part of the movement for unbiased, accessible election information. Donate today.
Ruth Whitaker
Ruth Whitaker (b. December 13, 1936) is a former Republican member of the Arkansas State Senate, representing District 3 from 2001 to 2013. She served as State Senate Minority Leader.
Whitaker is a former Alderman of the City of Cedarville. She worked as a Secretary for the Arkansas State Republican Party from 1992 to 1994.
Whitaker was ineligible to run for re-election to the Arkansas State Senate in 2012 due to term limits.
Biography
Whitaker earned her B.A. from Hendrix College in 1958. Her professional experience includes working as a political advisor and a community activist.
Committee assignments
2011-2012
In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Whitaker served on these committees:
- Subcommittee on Claims
- Insurance and Commerce Committee, Arkansas State Senate
- Judiciary Committee, Arkansas State Senate, Vice Chair
- Joint Performance Review Committee, Arkansas Assembly
- Senate Rules, Resolutions and Memorials Committee, Arkansas State Senate, Chair
2009-2010
In the 2009-2010 legislative session, Whitaker served on these committees:
- Agriculture, Forestry and Economic Development
- Judiciary Committee, Arkansas State Senate
- Senate Rules, Resolutions and Memorials Committee, Arkansas State Senate
Elections
2008
On November 4, 2008, Whitaker won election to the 3rd District Seat in the Arkansas State Senate, running unopposed in the general election.[1]
Whitaker raised $31,243 for her campaign.[2]
Campaign finance summary
Ballotpedia currently provides campaign finance data for all federal- and state-level candidates from 2020 and later. We are continuously working to expand our data to include prior elections. That information will be published here as we acquire it. If you would like to help us provide this data, please consider donating to Ballotpedia.
Scorecards
Arkansas’s Freedom Scorecard
The Advance Arkansas Institute, an Arkansas-based nonprofit research and educational organization, released Arkansas's Freedom Scorecard in 2012 and 2013. The scorecard graded legislators based on how they voted on the principles the group sought to promote. The group identified the following six categories as interest areas tracked by this scorecard: "economic freedom, education reform, good government, personal liberty, small government, and tax/budget policy." Scores range from 100 percent (the highest score) to 0 percent (the lowest score). A higher score indicates that the legislator voted more in favor of the values supported by this group.[3] Whitaker received a score of 81% in the 2012 scorecard, ranking 12th out of 34 members of the Arkansas State Senate that were evaluated for the study.
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Whitaker is a widow. She has two children and two grandchildren.
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Ruth + Whitaker + Arkansas + Senate"
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
- Arkansas State Legislature
- Arkansas State Senate
- Arkansas Senate Committees
- Arkansas state legislative districts
External links
- Official Arkansas State Senate website of Senator Ruth Whitaker
- Legislative Profile from Project Vote Smart
- Project Vote Smart biography of Senator Ruth Whitaker
- Campaign Contributions: 2008 2006 2004 2002 2000
Footnotes
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
Arkansas State Senate District 3 2001–2013 |
Succeeded by Cecile Bledsoe (R) |
