Mike Huckabee became governor July 15, 1996. He moved up from lieutenant governor following the resignation of Gov. Jim Guy Tucker. Huckabee became Arkansas' 44th elected governor after winning the November 1998 election with the highest percentage of the vote ever received by a Republican gubernatorial nominee in Arkansas. He was elected to another four-year term in November 2002.

Has been a leading advocate for education reform. The state's ACTAAP program is widely hailed as one of the region's best school accountability programs. Pushed through education reforms that drastically expanded the availability of college scholarships, led to the creation of charter schools and established new approaches to workforce education. The governor's Smart Start initiative placed a heavy emphasis on reading and math for students from kindergarten through the fourth grade. He then created Smart Step, a similar emphasis for students from the fifth through the eighth grades. Student scores on standardized tests have risen steadily since the creation of Smart Start and Smart Step.

• Led the fight in 1996 for Amendment 75 to the Arkansas Constitution, the conservation sales tax to benefit the state Department of Parks and Tourism, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, the state Department of Heritage and the Keep Arkansas Beautiful Commission. Proceeds from the amendment have allowed Arkansas to create the finest system of state parks in the country along with a system of state-of-the-art Nature Centers operated by the Game and Fish Commission.
• Created ARKids First, which provides health insurance to thousands of children who previously had no access to health insurance.
  Created a welfare reform program that reduced the welfare rolls by almost 50 percent.
  Pushed through the Legislature the first major, broad-based tax cuts in state history.
  Pushed through a Property Taxpayers " Bill of Rights.
  Created an automobile license renewal system that has become a model for states across the country. Huckabee has supported similar initiatives that have made Arkansas a technology leader among the states.
• Led a 1999 campaign for a bond issue to totally rehabilitate the state's system of interstate highways. The state is now in the midst of the largest road construction project in its history.
• Led a 2000 ballot initiative that devoted all of the tobacco settlement money to improving the health of Arkansans.

Other Highlights

In the fall of 1997, the governor released a book, "Character Is The Issue." The book, published by Broadman & Holman, chronicles Huckabee's political career and discusses the importance of character in politics and life.

His second book, "Kids Who Kill," was released in the spring of 1998. It addresses the issue of juvenile violence.

His third book, "Living Beyond Your Lifetime," was released in 2000. It examines how to establish a legacy that will live on after you're gone.

He was the 1997 American Sportfishing Association Man of the Year

He was inducted into the Arkansas Outdoor Hall of Fame in 2000.

The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission voted to name the first of its nature centers the Gov. Mike Huckabee Delta Rivers Nature Center.

National Leadership

Huckabee is the president of the Council of State Governments. The CSG is the nation's only organization serving every elected and appointed official in all three branches of state government. Founded in 1933 on the premise that states are the best sources of insight and innovation, the CSG provides a network for state leaders to share ideas. The organization also promotes the sovereignty of the states and their role in the American federal system. The national headquarters is in Lexington, Ky. The CSG maintains a Washington office along with regional offices in New York, Atlanta, San Francisco and Chicago. Huckabee replaced Parris Glendening, the outgoing governor of Maryland, as the CSG president. The CSG has six officers annually with governors serving as vice president, president-elect and president. Legislators serve as vice chairman, chairman-elect and chairman. Huckabee served one year as vice president and one year as president-elect. The CSG is a non-partisan, non-profit organization. It produces the magazine State Government News, which is mailed to more than 17,000 government officials nationwide, and it also produces Spectrum, a quarterly journal on state government. The CSG forecasts trends affecting state government by analyzing demographics, economics and other factors. The CSG staff tracks national conditions, advocates multistate problem-solving efforts and provides leadership training. Organizations that are affiliated with the CSG include the Southern Governors' Association, the Midwest Governors' Association, the Lieutenant Governors Association, the State Treasurers Association, the National Association of Secretaries of State, the Association of Election Division Officials, the National Emergency Management Association and the American Probation and Parole Association.

Huckabee is on the nine-member executive committee of the National Governors Association. The NGA, founded in 1908, is the group through which the nation's governors collectively influence the development of national policy. Huckabee is also the NGA's lead governor on the issue of welfare reform.

Huckabee is the chairman-elect of the Education Commission of the States, a national education policy organization. He will lead the ECS from July 2004 until July 2006, succeeding Virginia Gov. Mark Warner. The ECS helps governors, legislators, state education officials and others identify, develop and implement public policies to improve student learning at all levels. The organization, which is based in Denver, was formed in 1965.

Huckabee is the state co-chairman of the Delta Regional Authority. He was selected to the post by the governors of the other seven states that are part of the DRA -- Mississippi, Louisiana, Tennessee, Alabama, Missouri, Kentucky and Illinois. The DRA was established by Congress to help alleviate poverty and stimulate economic growth in impoverished counties in the eight member states.

Huckabee is extremely active in regional organizations. He is a former chairman of the Southern Governors' Association, a former chairman of the Southern Growth Policies Board, a former chairman of the Southern Technology Council and a former chairman of the Southern International Trade Council.

Huckabee is a former chairman of the Interstate Oil & Gas Compact Commission. The 37-state coalition develops energy policy and lobbies Congress on energy matters, serving as the governors' voice on energy issues. Congress approved the creation of the IOGCC in 1935. Since that time, the commission has been the leading voice for state regulation of oil and gas production.

Career Achievements

1996 - Present Governor of Arkansas
1993 - 1996 Lt. Governor of Arkansas
1992 - 1996 President, Cambridge Communications, Texarkana, AR
1989 - 1991 President, Arkansas Baptist State Convention
1987 - 1992 President, KBSC-TV 24 Hour UHF ch., Texarkana, AR

Academic Achievements

1973 Graduated from Hope High School
1976 - 1977 Graduated from Ouachita Baptist University at Arkadelphia, magna cum laude; completed degree in 2 1/2 years
1976 - 1977 Attended Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, Texas

Vital Statistics

Birth date: August 24, 1955
Married: Janet McCain of Hope, AR
Children: John Mark, David and Sarah
Hobbies: Fishing, hunting, reading and playing bass guitar in his band, 'Capitol Offense'.