Michael John Gray

{{Short description|American farmer, businessman, and politician}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Michael John Gray

| image = Michael John Gray in Fayetteville.jpg

| office = Chair of the Democratic Party of Arkansas

| term_start = March 26, 2017

| term_end = September 1, 2021

| predecessor = Vince Insalaco

| successor = Grant Tennille

| state_house1 = Arkansas

| district1 = 47th

| term_start1 = January 12, 2015

| term_end1 = January 2019

| preceded1 = Jody Dickinson

| succeeded1 = Craig Christiansen

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1976|6|30}}

| birth_place = Blytheville, Arkansas U.S.

| death_date =

| death_place =

| party = Independent

| spouse =

| children = 1

| education = Arkansas State University Beebe
Arkansas State University {{small|(BA)}}
University of Arkansas, Little
Rock {{small|(JD)}}

| website = {{url|michaeljohngray.com|Official website}}

| otherparty = Democratic (formerly)

}}

Michael John Gray (born June 30, 1976) is a small business owner and the Woodruff County Judge from Augusta, Arkansas. He represented a rural area of the Arkansas Delta in the Arkansas House of Representatives from 2015 to 2017. Gray served as chair of the Democratic Party of Arkansas from 2017 to 2021. He has been Woodruff County Judge since 2023.

Early life

Gray largely grew up in the Augusta School District, but graduated from Searcy High School.{{ cite web |first=Carol |last=Rolf |title=Woodruff County family honored for farm operation |work=Arkansas Democrat-Gazette |publisher= WEHCO Media |location=Little Rock, AR |date=August 24, 2014 |page=119 |via=NewsBank: America's News |url= https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2014/aug/24/woodruff-county-family-honored-farm-operation/ |access-date= December 23, 2020 }}

He earned an Associate in Arts from Arkansas State University Beebe. He briefly attended the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville and earned his Bachelor of Arts in marketing with an emphasis on logistics from Arkansas State University in Jonesboro. Gray later earned a Juris Doctor (J.D.) from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law.{{ cite web |title= Gray running for House position |work= Newport Independent |location= Newport, Arkansas |date= October 24, 2013 |page=5 |via= NewsBank |url= https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=NewsBank&docref=news/149B5C1544B4F0D8 |access-date= December 23, 2020 }}

Career

After graduation, Gray returned to Augusta to work on the family farm, known as Wakefield Partners, with his wife and mother. A third-generation family farm, the operation spans {{convert|5000|acre|ha}} of cotton, corn, peanuts, rice, and wheat. The group was named the 2014 Woodruff County Farm Family of the Year, an honor previously bestowed on his parents in 1984. Gray won election to the Augusta City Council in 2010, and focused on budgeting and reducing municipal spending. In October 2013, Gray announced his candidacy for the Arkansas House of Representatives District 47 seat held by term-limited Democrat Jody Dickinson. His campaign announcement described a focus on rural issues, and his community involvement and collaborative work on the city council. Gray was unopposed in the Democratic primary and the general election, and was seated as a member of the 90th Arkansas General Assembly. The House Democratic Caucus elected him Minority leader,{{ cite web |last=Lyon |first=John |title= Michael John Gray Elected Minority Leader Of Arkansas House |work=Arkansas News |location= North Little Rock, AR |publisher=Arkansas News Bureau, Gannett Co., Inc. |date= September 26, 2015 |url=https://www.arkansasnews.com/article/20150925/NEWS/309259947 |access-date= December 23, 2020 }} Democrats held 35 of 100 seats in the House.{{ cite web |title= Arkansas House Democrats elect new minority leader |publisher=The Associated Press |date=September 25, 2015 |url=https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2015/sep/25/arkansas-house-democrats-elect-new-minority-leader/?news-arkansas |via= Arkansas Democrat-Gazette |access-date= December 23, 2020 }} He voted for Arkansas Works (Medicaid expansion in Arkansas) twice and was a vocal supporter of the measure.

In March 2017, Gray won election to the unpaid position of Chair of the Democratic Party of Arkansas. He replaced the retiring Vince Insalaco for the remainder of his four-year term, defeating Denise Garner by a 120–107 vote. Gray campaigned on a return of focus to economic and rural issues.{{ cite web |title= Democrats pick Gray as chief |work= Arkansas Democrat-Gazette |first= John |last= Moritz |location= Little Rock, AR |date= March 26, 2017 |page= 15 |url=https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2017/mar/26/democrats-pick-gray-as-chief-20170326/ |publisher= WEHCO Media |access-date= December 23, 2020 }} He was re-elected to full term as Chair in 2018.{{ cite web |title= State Democrats choose Gray for full term as chairman |first=George |last=Jared |date= December 17, 2018 |url= https://talkbusiness.net/2018/12/state-democrats-choose-gray-for-full-term-as-chairman/ |work=Talk Business & Politics |access-date= December 23, 2020 }}

Gray was narrowly defeated in his November 2018 re-election bid for the House District 47 seat by Bald Knob businessman and retired state bureaucrat Craig Christiansen.{{ cite web |first= Jeannie |last= Roberts |title=In state House race, mailers become issue - Rivals also weigh in on gun rights |work= Arkansas Democrat-Gazette |location= Little Rock, AR |date= November 1, 2018 |pages=7, 14 |url=https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2018/nov/01/in-state-house-race-mailers-become-issu/ |access-date= December 23, 2020 }}{{ cite web |title= Election Night Roundup: New Faces in the General Assembly |first= Caleb |last= Talley |date= November 7, 2018 |work= Arkansas Money & Politics |publisher=AY Media Group |url=https://armoneyandpolitics.com/election-night-roundup-new-faces-general-assembly/ |access-date= December 23, 2020 }}{{ cite web |title= Arkansas Democratic Chair Gray loses House seat in close race |first=George |last= Jared |date= November 7, 2018 |url=https://talkbusiness.net/2018/11/arkansas-democratic-chair-gray-loses-house-seat-in-close-race/ |publisher= Talk Business & Politics |access-date= December 23, 2020 }}

In 2022, Gray ran as an independent for Woodruff County Judge. He defeated Republican John Ball with 1,053 (50.72%) votes to Ball's 1,023 (49.28%), a difference of just 30 votes.{{Cite web |last=Brantley |first=Max |date=2022-11-14 |title=Michael John Gray wins election as Woodruff County judge |url=https://arktimes.com/arkansas-blog/2022/11/14/michael-john-gray-wins-election-as-woodruff-county-judge |access-date=2025-03-29 |website=Arkansas Times |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=Election Night Reporting |url=https://results.enr.clarityelections.com/AR/Woodruff/115842/web.307039/#/summary?v=314140/ |access-date=2025-03-29 |website=results.enr.clarityelections.com}}