Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Pryor Stumps For Votes

Mark Pryor, son of Sen. David Pryor, was in town Wednesday, pressing the flesh as he runs for the office of Arkansas Attorney General.

With less than eight weeks to go until the Nov. 3 General Election, Pryor said things are positive and he's still working hard to get elected.

"I've been all over Arkansas shaking hands," he said. "I'm trying to win the old fashioned way one vote at a time."

During his campaign stops, Pryor visits with people of the community seeing what their interests are, what they think of things and what they would like to see done by the attorney general.

If elected, Pryor said, the office will be ran separately from the governor's office and legislature. "I will represent the people who elected me," he said. "Arkansas needs an independent attorney general. He is the voice of the people."

Pryor said he will not rely on the governor or anyone else in winning this election.

He served two terms in the Arkansas House of Representatives, introducing more than 70 pieces of legislation. During his short time in office, Pryor got more than 50 of these measures passed into law.

Part of the legislation he got passed was to get disruptive students in alternative class, taking them from mainstream classes.

He also helped pass legislation making it tougher for scam artists to defraud people, and worked to toughen the penalties for driving while intoxicated offenses for underage drinkers, while strengthening laws against those who sell alcohol to minors.

Currently Pryor is working with one of the largest law firms in the state, the Wright Lindsey Jennings Law Firm of Little Rock.

"I've shown I can get legislation passed and get things done," he said. "I will be as tenacious and determined as attorney general.

"I understand the challenge of managing a large office. There's a lot of details involved."

Pryor plans to run for office and not against the GOP candidate in the race. "I will focus on the issues," he said. "These affect people's lives daily."

The attorney general's office, he said, has several people oriented divisions, including the consumer protection division and an outreach program for juveniles.

Pryor was born in Fayetteville and attended Little Rock public schools. He earned his bachelor's degree in history from the University of Arkansas, and law degree from the University of Arkansas School of Law.

He is married to Jill Guffin Pryor, and the couple has two children, Adams, 4, and Porter, 3.