Political Campaigns
Returning to Arkansas in 1996, Berry announced his intention to run for the 1st District being vacated by now Senator Blanche Lincoln. With tough opposition from more progressive candidates, Berry narrowly won the primary with 52% of the vote, thanks to aggressive campaigning in the rural areas north of the Mississippi Delta region. In a district that has never elected a Republican, and with Berry outspending his opponent two-to-one in the general election, attorney Warren Dupwe, he claimed a modest victory (53%–44%) that November. He has declined to run for statewide office, citing health, family responsibilities, and unspecified social issues. However, he has enjoyed easy re-election since 1996, carrying the district 67%–33% in 2004, and then running unopposed in 2008, while receiving support from donors and groups also opposing the Barack Obama presidential campaign that year. He decided not to stand for re-election in 2010.
During the 2008 presidential campaign, like most Arkansas Democrats, Berry endorsed former U.S. Senator and former First Lady of Arkansas Hillary Rodham Clinton for President.
Read more about this topic: Robert Marion Berry
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