Leon Jones, Jr. to seek GOP nomination for Arkansas Attorney General

Leon Jones, Jr., who recently resigned his position as executive director of the state’s Fair Housing Commission, said two months ago he planned to run for Arkansas Attorney General in 2022 on the GOP ticket. On Tuesday (April 6), he made it official.

Jones, who has held positions in the Hutchinson and Huckabee administrations, said he wants to make history and become Arkansas’ first Black Attorney General.

“Today, after prayer and consultation with my family, I formally announce my candidacy for Arkansas Attorney General in 2022. I am ready and excited to take on the role as the Chief Legal Officer of the Natural State, to partner with our brave law enforcement at all levels of government, to protect our children, protect consumers, and to defend Arkansas in our courts,” he said.

Lt. Gov. Tim Griffin has also announced he would seek the seat under the GOP banner. No Democrats have officially declared for Attorney General. Incumbent AG Leslie Rutledge is term-limited and is running for governor.

Jones, 49, is a seventh generation Arkansan. He is a graduate of Pine Bluff High School and earned a B.A. in English from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff in 1995. He is a 2006 graduate of the University of Arkansas School of Law at Fayetteville.

He previously worked for Walmart Stores Inc. in Bentonville before starting his own law practice in Northwest Arkansas in 2009 practicing in both state and federal court.

“As Attorney General, I will defend the rule of law and the constitutions of both the United States and of Arkansas. My experiences in both the private and public sector have prepared me well to step into this role. I am a public servant, proven leader and principled conservative with a vision,” he said. “I am the right choice, right now and I look forward to meeting Arkansans throughout the state between now and Election Day 2022.”

In 2015, Jones was appointed by Gov. Asa Hutchinson as Director of the Arkansas Department of Labor. With this appointment, Jones became the first Black person to lead the agency in its 100-year history, his campaign noted. Four years later, Hutchinson appointed him Executive Director of the Arkansas Fair Housing Commission. Jones said he resigned that position on March 1, 2021.

Jones and his wife Tori, also an attorney, live in Little Rock and have three children.

You can view his campaign video announcement below. Also, an interview with Jones appeared on this week’s edition of Talk Business & Politics. It can be viewed below.