Tommy Land (born August 18, 1955) is an American businessman and politician from Arkansas. A Republican, he was elected on November 6, 2018, as the next Arkansas Commissioner of State Lands, and assumed office in January 2019.[1] He won re-election in 2022.
Tommy Land | |
|---|---|
| Land Commissioner of Arkansas | |
| Assumed office January 15, 2019 | |
| Governor | Asa Hutchinson Sarah Huckabee Sanders |
| Preceded by | John Thurston |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 18, 1955 Haines City, Florida, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse |
Judy Land (m. 1977) |
| Children | 2 |
| Occupation | Small business owner real estate agent |
Early life and education
editLand was born in Haines City, Florida. While in high school (circa 1972), he and his family moved to Heber Springs, Arkansas, the county seat of Cleburne County in the north central part of the state.[2] Land graduated from Heber Springs High School.[3]
After completing his education, Land began a career with Southwestern Bell.[3] Land had an early interest in real estate and bought his first home at age 19 after persuading a judge to grant him "adult" status to sign the real estate contract.[2]
Political career
editLand became involved in politics in the early 2010s. In a 2016 interview, he said he was serving as the chairman of the first district for the Arkansas Republican Party.[3] Land was one of six Arkansas Republican presidential electors for Donald Trump and Mike Pence in the 2016 Electoral College.[4] In a Family Council survey of 2018 Arkansas candidates, Land said as Commissioner of State Lands he would "encourage all state offices to look for ways to make government more effective and less expensive."[5]
Electoral history
editLand's bid to be the Republican candidate for Land Commissioner was uncontested in the 2018 primary after Alex Ray, from Bryant, dropped out of the race in February.[6][7] Land faced Democrat Larry Williams in the general election and won with 60 percent of the vote.[8]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Tommy Land | 527,948 | 60.09 | |
| Democratic | Larry Williams | 321,749 | 36.62 | |
| Libertarian | T.J. Campbell | 28,948 | 3.29 | |
| Majority | 206,199 | 23.47% | ||
| Total votes | 878,645 | 100 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
Personal life
editLand married his wife, Judy, circa 1977. They have a daughter and a son together. He retired from Southwestern Bell after 30 years of working in construction and customer service, circa 2003. After that, Land started his own digital telephone and computer networking company. Land acquired a real estate licence in 2016 and the family has leased mineral rights from their property, also operating a cattle farm. Judy was elected as Cleburne County assessor in 2014.[2]
References
edit- ^ Field, Hunter (October 8, 2018). "3 hopefuls seek Arkansas lands office". Arkansas Democrat–Gazette. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
- ^ a b c Field, Hunter (November 12, 2018). "Tax-delinquent land sales focus of Arkansas official-elect". Arkansas Democrat–Gazette. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
- ^ a b c Fanney, Brian (November 22, 2016). "Heber Springs Republican to run for land commissioner". Arkansas Democrat–Gazette. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
- ^ "Here are the people who will cast the formal vote for president next month". Politico. November 11, 2016. Retrieved November 14, 2018.
- ^ "View Candidates: Commissioner of State Lands". Arkansas Voters Guide. Family Council. Retrieved November 14, 2018.
- ^ Brantley, Max (February 5, 2018). "Alex Ray quits land commissioner race". Arkansas Times. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
- ^ "Arkansas Primary Election Results". The New York Times. May 29, 2018. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
- ^ "Arkansas Election Results". The New York Times. November 13, 2018. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
- ^ "2018 General Election and Nonpartisan Judicial Runoff Unofficial Results". Arkansas Secretary of State. November 13, 2018. Retrieved November 14, 2018.
