Jim Holt

Infobox State Senator


name = Jim Holt
state_house = Arkansas
district = 5
term_start = 2001
term_end = 2003
state_senate2 = Arkansas
district2 = 35
term_start2 = 2003
term_end2 = 2006
birth_date = January 17, 1965
party = Republican
spouse = Bobye Holt
children = Nine
occupation = Minister
website = http://www.jimholt.us

Jim L. Holt, born January 17, 1965, in Camden, Arkansas, is a conservative Republican politician from Springdale, Arkansas. He is a critic of former Governor Mike Huckabee, a major candidate for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination.

Background

Holt joined the military in 1987 and served in the U.S. Army Joint Intelligence Operations at the National Security Agency under the presidencies of Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, and Bill Clinton. [http://www.jimholt.us/aboutjim.htm] His website notes he "was involved in highly classified operations during the Cold War, the ousting of Manuel Noriega from Panama, and Operation Desert Storm." [http://www.jimholt.us/aboutjim.html]

In 1996, he became an ordained Southern Baptist minister. He is married to Bobye Barenberg of Rogers. They are the parents of nine children. [http://www.jimholt.us/aboutjim.html]

Political career

Holt was first elected in the 2000 general elections, he served in the Arkansas House of Representatives from 2001 to 2003 where he sponsored the controversial House Bill 2548 [cite web | url=http://www.antievolution.org/topics/law/ar_hb2548/ | title=Arkansas House Bill 2548 is a composite of anti-evolutionary sources | accessdate = 2007-07-20]

In 2003, Holt was elected to the Arkansas Senate, where he served until December 31, 2006.

In 2004, Holt was the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate. He was defeated by incumbent Democrat Blanche Lincoln, with 44 percent of the vote. [cite web| url=http://www.arelections.org/results/66/elec66_election-all.html | title=Arkansas 2004 General Election and Non-Partisan Judicial Runoff | accessdate=2008-01-20]

In 2006, Holt was the Republican nominee for Lieutenant Governor but was defeated by Democrat Bill Halter.

Evolution Bill and Legislative Record

Holt co-sponsored House Bill 2548 in 2001, a bill which would have required public schools to identify evolution as an unproven theory, and which would have prohibited the use of public funds for the promotion of evolution-related information as fact. The bill was sponsored by several other House members, including Rep. Jack Critcher, who later went on to become the Democratic President Pro Tempore of the Arkansas State Senate, but eventually fell six votes short of passage. Holt was later criticized, in July 2006, by Don Michael, an opinion writer for the Fayetteville "Northwest Arkansas Times", for having invited controversial creationist Kent Hovind to speak before a committee at the Arkansas House in April 2001 about the House bill.

Holt has tended to be a fiscal conservative in his voting record. He signed the Americans for Tax Reform pledge to “oppose and vote against any and all efforts to increase taxes” twice in 2003 and 2004, was one of only three legislators who voted against raising the minimum wage in 2006, and voted three times against a pay raise for elected state officials, despite the fact that he, his wife, and his nine children lived only on his legislative salary and expense reimbursements, totaling only around $39,000 in 2006.

Holt has been characterized by some as an ultra-conservative, right-wing extremist. Others, such as Sen. Paul Miller, D-Melbourne, have defended him as one who simply votes his conscience, saying, “You have to give him credit for that. Against all odds he will stick with what he believes in.” [cite news | url=http://www.nwanews.com/adg/News/159282/ | title=‘Extremist’ Holt? Well, depends on who’s asked| publisher=Arkansas Democrat-Gazette | date= July 2, 2006 | accessdate = 2007-07-20]

Opposition to Huckabee

As a legislator, Holt tangled publicly with former Governor Mike Huckabee over immigration. Huckabee, who like Holt is a Southern Baptist preacher, spoke out against Holt's proposal in 2005 to ban state services to illegal immigrants. Holt has criticized Huckabee for telling him "I drink a different kind of Jesus juice." [ [http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/huckabee_paul/2007/12/13/56908.html Newsmax.com - Paul Brings Huckabee Critics to Iowa ] ]

That same year, Holt opposed Huckabee's unsuccessful effort to make children of illegal immigrants eligible for state-funded scholarships and in-state tuition to Arkansas colleges. Holt defended his position by asking Huckabee if he would allow the same privileges to families of military personnel deployed over seas, which Huckabee refused to respond to. [cite web | url=http://www.nwanews.com/nwat/Editorial/61298/ | title=From Hope to Betrayal : Huckabee can talk all he wants — but his record is what it is | accessdate=2008-01-20]

In December 2007, Holt was asked by the presidential campaign of Congressman Ron Paul of Texas to go to Iowa and do several radio interviews about Huckabee with former colleague Randy Minton of Cabot. [ [http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/huckabee_paul/2007/12/13/56908.html Newsmax.com - Paul Brings Huckabee Critics to Iowa ] ] Holt has not endorsed Paul or any other candidate, but he vowed to acquaint Iowa caucus participants about liberal aspects of Huckabee's record in Arkansas.

On January 18, 2008 the Northwest Arkansas Times ran an opinion piece by Holt blasting Huckabee and his supporters [cite web | url=http://www.nwanews.com/nwat/Editorial/61298/ | title=From Hope to Betrayal : Huckabee can talk all he wants — but his record is what it is | accessdate=2008-01-20] . Holt accused Huckabee's followers of not researching what Huckabee's positions are, and supporting him simply because he is a Christian.

References

External links

* [http://www.jimholt.us Jim Holt's Official Website]