Retired Gen. Berry to seek District 82 House seat

Retired Lt. Gen. Mark Berry announced Monday (Sept. 16) his bid as a Republican for Arkansas Representative District 82 that includes parts of Crawford, Franklin, and Madison Counties.

Rep. Sarah Capp, R-Ozark, is not seeking re-election, but is instead running for a newly created district court judgeship that covers Franklin and Johnson counties. Berry is the only candidate to announce for the open seat.

“My entire adult life has been spent in defense of our great country. I have received strong encouragement from state and local officials to consider running for State Representative,” Berry said in a statement. “Our shared conservative values that we hold so close in District 82 are under attack. We need leadership that will have the strength of conviction and conscience to defend those values. As I look around District 82, I also see the need for continued job growth and the opportunities that those potential jobs will bring. I am committed to working with Governor Asa Hutchinson as he works to bring more jobs to our state.”

Berry enlisted in the Air Force at age 18. With more than 21 years active duty and 24 years with the Air National Guard, he rose through the ranks to become a Lt. Gen. and be appointed by Gov. Hutchinson in 2015 as director of the Arkansas Military Department and Adjutant General of the Arkansas National Guard.

His time in the military included time in 10 countries, including Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Korea and Kenya. He has served on the executive Bboard and as president of the National Guard Association of Arkansas, and now serves as an advisor to the Board of Directors for the Arkansas State Police Foundation where he was inducted into the Arkansas State Police Foundation Hall of Fame.

He received a bachelor’s degree from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, Fla., and a graduate degree from Golden Gate University in San Francisco. He also is a graduate of Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, Cambridge, Mass. He lives in Ozark with his wife Theresa. They have two sons.

Following are other Arkansas House races/seats in or part of the Fort Smith metro. There are no 2020 elections in the Arkansas Senate seats that include all or part of the Fort Smith metro (Senate Districts 5, 6, 8 and 9).

District 21 (part of Scott and Sebastian counties in the Fort Smith metro)
Rep, Marcus Richmond – R (incumbent)
Jim Reynolds – R

District 74 (parts of Franklin, Scott and Sebastian counties and all of Logan County)
Rep. Jon Eubanks – R (incumbent)
Curtis Varnell – R

District 75 (parts of Crawford and Sebastian counties)
Lee Johnson – R

District 76 (part of Sebastian County)
Rep. Cindy Crawford – R

District 77 (part of Sebastian County)
Rep. Justin Boyd – R

District 78 (part of Sebastian County)
Rep. Jay Richardson – D

District 79 (part of Crawford County)
Rep. Gary Deffenbaugh – R

District 80 (part of Crawford and Washington counties)
Rep. Charlene Fite – R (incumbent)
Lou Reed Sharp – D

District 81 (part of Crawford and Washington counties)
Rep. Bruce Coleman – R

District 82 (part of Franklin and Madison counties)
Rep. Sarah Capp – R (not seeking re-election, running for judgeship)
Mark Berry – R

Link here for the complete list of Arkansas candidates for state and federal offices.