Arkansas Speaker of the House Benny Petrus Endorses Hillary for President

Arkansas Speaker of the House Benny Petrus (D-Stuttgart) today announced his endorsement of Hillary Clinton for President.

"Hillary truly understands the needs of farmers and small communities," Petrus said. "As First Lady of Arkansas, she saw how hard farmers had to work, and because of that experience, she is one of the farm community’s strongest supporters."

Speaker Petrus cited Hillary’s commitment to biofuels, family farmers and rural development programs as three of the reasons she stands above other candidates in the primary.

"Alternative fuel development can be a great economic driver here in Arkansas," he said. "Hillary understands that and is committed to providing our farmers additional markets in which to sell their products."

Hillary’s experience advocating for farmers in Senate shows her strong commitment to helping sustain the family farm, Petrus added. He noted that she has consistently promoted legislation to help small farmers maintain a competitive edge in an agriculture market that faces the growing threat of corporate domination.

"As someone who has represented farming communities in Arkansas, I appreciate the work Hillary has done for farmers as a United States Senator," he said. "Farmers can trust her to make sound decisions and support rural communities as President."

Speaker Petrus has served in the Arkansas House of Representatives since 2003. He is from Stuttgart and represents District 14, which is composed of most of Arkansas County and all of Prairie County. During the 86th General Assembly, Speaker Petrus was a member of the House Education Committee and the House Agriculture, Forestry and Economic Development Committee. He also served on the Joint Budget Committee. As speaker, he also serves on the Legislative Council and the House Management Committee and as an ex-officio member of the Legislative Joint Auditing Committee.