LITTLE ROCK – Second District Congressional candidate, U.S. Army Reservist and former U.S. Attorney Tim Griffin today announced the endorsement of former 2nd Congressional District Representative Ed Bethune in his bid to replace Rep. Vic Snyder in 2010.
“Tim Griffin will make an outstanding Congressman,” Bethune said. “He is the right person to represent the common sense conservative values of the Second District; and, we need more veterans serving in Congress.”
“Tim and I agree that the private sector is the only way to create sustainable jobs, we need common sense market-based health care reform, and we need to reign in federal spending and pay off the national debt. I wholeheartedly endorse him to be our next Congressman,” Bethune added.
“I am honored to have the support and endorsement of the only person to win the Second District seat as a Republican since 1874,” Griffin said. “Congressman Bethune is well respected among conservatives in Arkansas. He is a former state party chairman, prosecutor, federal agent and a military veteran. I look forward to working with Rep. Bethune as our campaign continues to build momentum and grass roots support.”
Rep. Bethune, of Searcy and Little Rock, was first elected to Congress in 1978, representing the Second District until 1985. After serving in the United States Marine Corps, Congressman Bethune returned home and graduated from the University of Arkansas in 1961. He then went on to earn his law degree from the University of Arkansas Law School in 1963.
Beginning in 1963, Bethune served as the deputy prosecuting attorney of Randolph County. From 1964 to 1968, he served as a special agent for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). He was prosecuting attorney for the First Judicial District of Arkansas from 1970 to 1971 and, during that time, chaired the committee that wrote the rules of criminal procedure that now serve the state of Arkansas.
While in Congress, Bethune was a member of the Budget, Financial Affairs, and Small Business committees. He was a key player in the passage of the Kemp-Roth bill, an income tax cut of 25% across the board for all Americans. In 1984 he was the Republican nominee for the United States Senate. He is a recipient of the Arkansas Wildlife Federation Conservation and Wilderness Award for his instrumental work in passage of the Arkansas Wilderness Act of 1983 (P.L. 98-508).
