LITTLE ROCK — Today, Chris Jones officially filed to run for Governor of Arkansas at the State Capitol. Jones, a Pine Bluff native, filed with the Secretary of State shortly after the traditional “ringing of the bell” started the filing period of the 2022 election cycle. Jones’s filing coincides with his statewide Promise of Arkansas Tour, where he is visiting communities in all 75 counties to kickoff the primary election. (Announcement video link)
“Arkansans are ready for change and ready to meet this moment,” said Chris Jones. “Right here in Arkansas, there is an opportunity for a new kind of leadership, one that gives you hope, dares to dream big, puts division aside, and focuses on solving problems. I’m running for Governor of Arkansas, the state my family has called home for over 200 years, because I want to bring us together and lift up communities in every corner of this great state of ours.
“This moment today is the start of a historic movement that will lift Arkansas from the bottom of the national rankings and showcase our true promise. This campaign will be modeled after the grit, the ingenuity, and the resilience of everyday Arkansans, the people who look around at other states thriving, and ask, “Why not us?”
“This campaign will show the nation what it means to win in so-called ‘red’ states. We will get Arkansas out of the basement on voter turnout, and we will do it in the Delta and in the Ozarks, places where so much of the American story has been birthed. We will show the nation how to change the conversation - one vote at a time.
“By the end of the month, I will have visited every single county in this state. And what I am seeing is unrealized potential. We can have world-class preschool, dependable broadband internet, drivable roads, clean drinking water, and bridges that don’t crack.
“I believe this state is worth believing in, worth investing in, worth lifting up. I want to make sure Arkansas is the best place to live, work, and raise a family in the United States. And we should settle for nothing less, because we deserve nothing less.”
If elected Governor, Chris Jones would be the first Black candidate to win statewide or federal office in Arkansas, the only former Confederate state left to do so. Additionally, Jones would be the first Black gubernatorial nominee of either major party in the state. The Promise of Arkansas Tour marks Jones’s introduction of signature policy issues: high-quality preschool for all families, affordable broadband for every home, and economic development focused on creating high wage jobs.
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About Chris JonesDr. Chris Jones grew up in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. A son of two preachers, Chris was raised with a strong sense of faith. He attended Morehouse College on a NASA Scholarship, for physics and math, then went on to study at MIT becoming a nuclear engineer and earning a Ph.D. in urban planning. After becoming ordained as a minister, Chris returned home to Arkansas and led the Arkansas Regional Innovation Hub. Through this work, he has seen firsthand how disparities within Arkansas have gotten worse, not better. He believes there is much room for growth, including improving public education opportunities in every community, strengthening infrastructure from roads to broadband access, protecting and securing our right to vote, and bridging the rural and urban divide. Chris has faith in Arkansas’s potential, and he’s running for governor to ensure every person in Arkansas has an opportunity to succeed.
About the Promise of Arkansas Tour
Dr. Chris Jones, Democratic candidate for Governor of Arkansas, launched the most ambitious and demanding effort to reach Arkansas voters this election, hitting the road for his Promise of Arkansas tour. This full court press visiting all of the state’s 75 counties in one month, set the table to launch an unprecedented voting movement in a state with some of the highest potential and highest stakes in the nation. Chris Jones is committed to changing what it means to campaign in Arkansas, by listening and learning from all communities, by building an enduring and resilient grassroots campaign, and by sharing his vision – that Arkansas can realize its potential and reach its promise through Faith, Hope and Hard Work.
