Ross won a narrow victory against incumbent
Republican Jay Dickey in 2000 by portraying himself as a moderate, like the political tendencies of his district. In contrast, Dickey was seen as controversial because of his comments on stem cell research and homosexuality. Additionally, he had voted to impeach Bill Clinton, which was a highly unpopular move in Clinton's home district. Clinton, who had won the district by wide margins in both of his presidential bids, campaigned on behalf of Ross. Ross was the only Democratic House challenger outside of
California to defeat a Republican incumbent in 2000. Ross easily defeated Dickey in a 2002 rematch, then ran unopposed in
2004. He picked up an easy victory in the
2006 election, defeating the similarly named Republican, real estate executive Joe Ross, 75 percent–25 percent. In terms of a possible ballot initiative in Arkansas to allow the use of doctor-prescribed
medical marijuana, Ross' campaign said "over the next several months, many issues will try to get on the 2014 ballot, and, like every other Arkansan, Mike Ross will carefully review each measure once it's certified and placed on the ballot."
2008 Ross had no Republican opponent but did face Hot Springs lawyer and Green Party candidate Joshua Drake, whom he beat with a decisive 87% of the vote. During the 2008 presidential campaign, like most Arkansas Democrats, Ross endorsed former
U.S. Senator and former First Lady of the United States
Hillary Clinton (D-
New York) for president.
2010 Winning 58% of the vote, Ross handily defeated Republican nominee Beth Anne Rankin (40%) and Green Party nominee Josh Drake (2%), despite that year's Republican wave. Ross was the only U.S. House member from Arkansas who sought reelection in 2010, as Democrats
Robert Marion Berry and
Vic Snyder retired, while Republican
John Boozman ran successfully for the U.S. Senate. Ross became the only Democrat in Arkansas' House Delegation, as all three open seats were won by Republicans.
2014 gubernatorial campaign On July 25, 2011, Ross announced that he would retire from Congress at the end of 2012. As for possibly running for
Governor of Arkansas in 2014, he said: "Whether I run for Governor in 2014 is a decision I have not yet made and won't make until sometime after my term in this Congress ends. But I do know if I was re-elected to the U.S. Congress next year, my term in the Congress would overlap with the Governor's race. I believe it would be impossible to successfully run for Governor here at home, while effectively carrying out my congressional duties in Washington." On May 14, 2012, Ross announced that he would not run for governor in 2014. Instead, he became senior vice president for government affairs and public relations at the
Little Rock-based, nonprofit
Southwest Power Pool. However, Ross resigned his position as an officer and senior vice president with Southwest Power Pool on April 2, 2013, to "pursue another opportunity in public service." Ross said he received numerous calls and e-mails from all over the state to reconsider his decision not to run for governor and on April 17, 2013, Ross formally announced his campaign for governor in his hometown of Prescott. On April 29, 2013, Ross tweeted that he had raised more than half a million dollars in the first ten days of the campaign. During his campaign for governor, Ross made access to quality pre-kindergarten education a centerpiece of his campaign, introducing a plan to make pre-kindergarten accessible to every 4-year-old in Arkansas by 2025. Ross also made reducing domestic violence and child abuse priorities in his crime reduction plan, which included increased support for shelters, more investigative money for child abuse and more training of police officers in coping with domestic situations. One key initiative in Ross' plan would have changed the way police respond to domestic violence calls. Under Ross's plan, Arkansas police would have been trained to screen victims for risk level by asking a series of research-based questions. If the victim was determined to be at high risk, police would have been required to inform her about the danger she is in, encourage her to seek help and connect her with key resources. Ross' plan also included the creation of a confidential address program to help survivors of sexual assault, rape, stalking or domestic violence keep their location secret from abusers; changing the law so it's easier for domestic violence survivors to terminate a housing lease without penalty; and directing the state to publish a comprehensive report on domestic violence every two years. Ross also proposed a major overhaul of the state's personal income tax structure and said the plan would have to be phased in over time as allowed by the state's finances. The total price tag of the restructuring would cost an estimated $574.5 million, according to the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration. Ross said his tax cut plan, when fully implemented, would cut income taxes by as much as $465 for incomes at $30,000; $665 at $40,000; $880 at $50,000; and, $1,148 at $75,000 and up. He proposed mimicking Gov. Mike Beebe's phase-out of the sales tax on groceries as his blueprint for restructuring the tax code. Ross said, "I want to modernize our income tax code in a way that means lower, fairer taxes for working families and small businesses in Arkansas, and I want to do so in a fiscally responsible way that maintains our balanced budget and protects vital state services like education, Medicaid and public safety," Ross said. "Just like Governor Beebe did with the sales tax on groceries, I will also gradually phase in my tax cut plan as the state can afford to do so." The crux of Ross' plan would be to retroactively index Arkansas income tax brackets taking a 1997 state law and applying it to the 1971 realignment of the tax code. Act 328 of 1997 tied state income tax brackets to inflation on a forward-going basis. Ross also announced a plan to create a "senior bill of rights," which would result in services for seniors centered on seven policy areas, including healthcare, food security and more simple access to information about government programs. ==Electoral history==