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Leslie Rutledge

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Leslie Rutledge
NameLeslie Rutledge
Office56th Attorney General of Arkansas
Term startJanuary 13, 2015
Term endJanuary 10, 2023
GovernorAsa Hutchinson, Sarah Huckabee Sanders
PredecessorDustin McDaniel
SuccessorTim Griffin
PartyRepublican
Birth date9 June 1976
Birth placeBatesville, Arkansas, U.S.
EducationBatesville High School
Alma materUniversity of Central Arkansas (BA), University of Arkansas School of Law (JD)
SpouseBoyce Johnson

Leslie Rutledge is an American attorney and politician who served as the 56th Attorney General of Arkansas from 2015 to 2023, becoming the first woman and first Republican elected to the position in state history. Her tenure was marked by active participation in multistate legal challenges, staunch social conservative advocacy, and alignment with the policies of the Trump administration. Rutledge was the Republican nominee for Governor of Arkansas in the 2022 election before withdrawing to run successfully for Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas, an office she assumed in 2023.

Early life and education

Born in Batesville, she graduated from Batesville High School before attending the University of Central Arkansas, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science. Rutledge then received her Juris Doctor from the University of Arkansas School of Law in Fayetteville. During her education, she was actively involved in student government and interned for prominent Republican figures, including then-U.S. Senator Tim Hutchinson and Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, which provided early exposure to state and federal politics.

Following law school, Rutledge served as a law clerk for the Arkansas Court of Appeals under Judge Andree Layton Roaf. She later worked as a deputy prosecutor in Lonoke County and as an attorney for the Arkansas Department of Human Services. Rutledge moved to Washington, D.C., where she held several significant roles, including as counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division at the U.S. Department of Justice and as a senior advisor to the Chairman of the Federal Election Commission. This federal experience encompassed work on major litigation and regulatory matters during the George W. Bush administration.

Political career

Her political career began in earnest with her election as Attorney General of Arkansas in 2014, defeating Democrat Nate Steel. Prior to holding elected office, Rutledge was deeply involved in state Republican Party operations, serving as political director for the Republican National Committee and as an aide on multiple campaigns, including those for Congressman John Boozman and the Republican National Convention. She also worked on the 2008 and 2012 national convention delegations for Arkansas.

Attorney General of Arkansas

As Attorney General, Rutledge frequently joined Republican colleagues in challenging federal policies, filing or joining lawsuits against the Obama administration over the Clean Power Plan, the Waters of the United States rule, and the Affordable Care Act's contraceptive mandate. She was a vocal supporter of Second Amendment rights, defending state laws like the Arkansas Sovereignty Act, and advocated for stricter regulations on abortion, defending Arkansas laws before the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. Her office also focused on combating human trafficking, opioid abuse, and consumer fraud through initiatives like the Arkansas Military and Veterans Relief Program.

2024 gubernatorial election

In 2021, Rutledge launched a campaign for the governorship in the 2022 election, seeking to succeed term-limited Governor Asa Hutchinson. However, after former White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders entered the race with endorsements from figures like former President Donald Trump, Rutledge withdrew her gubernatorial bid and instead ran for Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas. She won the lieutenant governor's office in the November 2022 election, defeating Democrat Kelly Krout and Libertarian candidate Frank Gilbert.

Personal life

Rutledge is married to Boyce Johnson, a former official with the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration, and they have one daughter. She is a member of the First Baptist Church in Little Rock and has been involved with organizations such as the National Association of Attorneys General and the Razorback Foundation. An avid supporter of Razorback athletics, Rutledge has also served on the board of the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance and the Women's Foundation of Arkansas.

Category:1976 births Category:Living people Category:Attorneys General of Arkansas Category:Arkansas Republicans Category:University of Central Arkansas alumni Category:University of Arkansas School of Law alumni Category:People from Batesville, Arkansas Category:Women state attorneys general in the United States