John Boozman, a successful businessman and life-long resident of Arkansas, cleared a field of seven other contenders to win the Republican nomination for Arkansas’s U.S. Senate seat. Raised in Fort Smith, John graduated from Northside High School and went on to play football for the University of Arkansas Razorbacks while completing his pre-optometry requirements. He graduated from the Southern College of Optometry in 1977 and entered private practice that same year co-founding a family business with his brother that would ultimately become a key provider of eye care to Northwest Arkansas. With his wife Cathy and their three daughters by his side, John told supporters at his primary election night watch party, “the people of Arkansas understand that we can’t continue to have the tax, spend and borrow mentality that we are seeing out of this Administration.” The Obama-Pelosi-Reid approach to growing government at an uncontrollable pace runs counter to the way John has represented the Third District of Arkansas in the United States House of Representatives and will serve as a U.S. Senator. During that tenure, John has established a record as a strong supporter of the values and principles that Arkansans hold dearly. His commitment to a limited government; ensuring our nation has a strong national defense, a secure border and an effective homeland security policy; honoring our promises to our nation’s veterans; protecting citizens’ rights to bear arms; and advocating for the right to life for the unborn has earned John high grades and accolades from advocacy groups like NumbersUSA, the National Rifle Association and National Right to Life. As the co-founder of Boozman-Hof Regional Eye Clinic in Rogers, John brings a small business owner’s approach to governing. With firsthand knowledge of how vital small businesses are to our economy, John has worked to pass economic policies that helps Arkansas’ small businesses continue to grow and add jobs to our state’s economy. John’s background as medical service provider brings real world experience to the debate over how best to lower the costs of quality health care for all Arkansans while preserving the doctor-patient relationship. He firmly believes that health care reform must be patient-centered, decisions for treatments should be made by doctors and patients rather than by bureaucrats and that our health care system should be reformed in a manner that protects those who have existing coverage while increasing access to those who do not. The son of a Master Sergeant in the U.S. Air Force, John learned about the sacrifices our men and women in uniform make at an early age. Having grown up in this environment, he understands the unique challenges military families face. As Ranking Member of the House Veterans Affairs Economic Opportunity Subcommittee, John has played a crucial role in the government’s efforts to ensure veterans have a smooth transition to civilian life and has authored key policy provisions that include improvements to treatments for service members afflicted with eye trauma and the reinstatement of veteran work study benefits under the GI Bill. As a former cattle rancher, John knows agriculture is more than a business. It is a way of life. Supporting Arkansas’s farmers, ranchers and related service industries has always been at the top of his priority list and will continue to be in the future. John has been active in public service long before holding elected office. While practicing optometry, John established the low vision program at the Arkansas School for the Blind in Little Rock and worked as a volunteer optometrist at an area clinic that provides medical services to low-income families. Prior to his election to Congress, John served two terms on the Rogers School Board, one of the largest school districts in the state