Leslie Rutledge

Leslie Carol Rutledge was born on June 9, 1976. She is an American attorney and politician who has served as Arkansas's 21st Lieutenant Governor since January 2023, making her the first woman to hold the state's second-highest office. Rutledge is a member of the Republican Party.

Prior to becoming Lieutenant Governor, Rutledge served two terms as the 56th Attorney General of Arkansas from 2015 to 2023. She made history as both the first woman and first Republican elected to the office of Attorney General in Arkansas since the Reconstruction era. Together with Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Rutledge and Sanders became the first independently elected women to serve together as governor and lieutenant governor of a state in U.S. history.

Education

Rutledge graduated from the University of Arkansas and earned her law degree from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law. She is admitted to practice law in Arkansas, Washington D.C., and before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Political Experience

Rutledge's career in public service includes several significant roles. She served as a judicial clerk for Arkansas Supreme Court Justice Josephine Hart, Deputy Counsel in the Office of Governor Mike Huckabee, and Deputy Prosecuting Attorney in Lonoke County. She also worked as an Attorney for Arkansas's Division of Children and Family Services.

Her political campaign experience includes serving as Deputy Counsel for the Mike Huckabee for President 2008 campaign, Deputy Counsel at the National Republican Congressional Committee, and Counsel for the Republican National Committee during the 2012 Presidential campaign. Rutledge was elected Attorney General in 2014 with 51.6 percent of the vote, defeating Democratic nominee Nate Steel, and was reelected in 2018 with 61.8 percent. She was elected Lieutenant Governor in 2022 and has filed paperwork to seek reelection in 2026.