Bill Halter

Who is Bill Halter?

William A. "Bill" Halter was the 14th Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas. A member of the Democratic Party, he was elected to succeed the late Republican Winthrop Paul Rockefeller in 2006, defeating Republican challenger Jim Holt by a margin of 57%–43%.

Before his election as lieutenant governor, Halter served as the Deputy Commissioner and Acting Commissioner of the Social Security Administration. He previously worked as a senior adviser in the Office of Management and Budget from 1993 to 1999. A native of North Little Rock, he is a graduate of Stanford University and Oxford University.

He unsuccessfully challenged two-term incumbent Blanche Lincoln for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate, losing to her in the June 8, 2010 runoff after neither won a majority in the May primary. He ran for the Democratic nomination for Governor of Arkansas in 2014 but dropped out, citing concerns over a divisive primary hurting Democratic chances for the seat.