Thanks to our friends at the Benton Courier for the great article (and lots of great photos) of the hometown campaign kick-off rally. Click here to see the article.

Campaign kick-off rally in Bauxite

It was standing room only Monday evening at the Bauxite Community Center and Historical Museum, and right in the center of the hundreds of local residents was state Sen. Shane Broadway, D-Bryant, to kick off his campaign bid for Arkansas lieutenant governor.
“I said that my first (campaign) event would be at home,” he said. “You will never know how much this means to Debbie and I by you all being here today. I wanted to have it here, because it is one of my all-time favorite places growing up. And in the museum you can find a picture of my great-great-grandfather.”
Broadway told the crowd that his speech would be short, and this kickoff at Bauxite was mostly to thank everyone in Saline County for their years of support for him and his family. He shared a brief history on the importance of bauxite mining for Alcoa and Reynolds during World War II.
“A lot of people don’t know or understand that … Bauxite plants were used heavily during the war to make planes, boats, bullets and other important items in that era,” Broadway said. “You see there is a proud heritage here, a proud history and great people with great pride. So many people are here today that have had a profound effect on my life.”
Broadway told the crowd how his grandfather moved to Bauxite from the Bryant train stop with the family possessions in a wheelbarrow to make a better life. He also told the crowd of when the family discovered his brother had cancer and how the Bauxite community showed support.
“I remember coming home to a houseful of groceries, I looked at my dad and told him ‘we don’t have any way of paying these people back,’” Broadway said. “My dad said, ‘son, you’ll have a chance to give back to them somehow in some way, some day.’ That is what I have been trying to do the past 14 years.”
Broadway added, “My family always instilled in me to give back and valued the importance of education, trying to make life better for the next generation. I have the best job in the world, because I get to wake up every day and have a chance to make a change for someone. I want to continue that giving back for the next eight years as the Arkansas lieutenant governor.”
Broadway also announced that his next campaign stop will be from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. today at the Little Rock Train Depot.
He officially announced his run for lieutenant governor in early March, after Lt. Gov. Bill Halter decided to run for the U.S. Senate against Sen. Blanche Lincoln.
Broadway has worked closely with Gov. Mike Beebe in an effort to create opportunities for economic development, improve the state’s educational system and provide tax cuts for Arkansans. The senator also is employed by the Saline County Economic Development Corp., which works to bring economic opportunities to Saline County.
Broadway was elected to the state Senate in 2002 and was re-elected in 2006, but he has term-limited out of the position. He is a graduate of Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, where he earned a political science degree.
He was awarded the R.E. Lee Wilson Award, ASU’s highest honor for a graduating senior. He also received an honorary degree from Pulaski Technical College.
Broadway serves on the boards of directors of the Central Arkansas Development Council, the Christian Community Care Clinic, the Bryant Boys and Girls Club, Lions World Services for the Blind, CARTI Foundation and the Quality Teaching and Learning Centers. Formerly, he was vice president for government for the Economics Arkansas Board and served on the University of Arkansas’s 2010 Commission.
Broadway is married to the former Debbie Tableriou, a North Little Rock native. They live in Bryant, where they attend First Baptist Church.