Jay Martin enters crowded Democratic Arkansas gubernatorial primary

Former Arkansas legislator Jay Martin has announced he will enter the Democratic primary for Arkansas Governor. Martin joins an already crowded field of four Democrats running for the state’s top elected job.

Martin is an attorney with Wallace & Associates where he has served as president since 2006. His principal areas of practice are civil and criminal litigation, wills, trusts and estates, and business formation. He served in the Arkansas House of Representatives from 2003 to 2007 representing North Little Rock and Sherwood and was the House Majority Leader in the 85th General Assembly.

“Jay is a born-again, Spirit-filled follower of Jesus Christ, who values the Bible as his guidebook for living,” noted the opening line on the profile page of his campaign website. “He is a husband, a father, and the guardian of his mentally-ill father. Jay is a Pro-Life Democrat, who values life from conception to death.”

Other Democrats who have announced are Anthony Bland, Chris Jones, James Russell and Supha Xayprasith-Mays. Sarah Huckabee Sanders is the only announced Republican candidate, and Ricky Dale Harrington is the only announced Libertarian candidate.

Arkansas’ filing period for the May 24 primary election begins Feb. 22 and ends March 1.

Talk Business & Politics will update this story later today.