House Minority Leader and State Rep. Michael John Gray, D-Augusta, was elected as the new chairman of the Democratic Party of Arkansas. He succeeds Vincent Insalaco, who steered the state’s Democrats for two election cycles.

“To the hundreds of Arkansas Democrats who gathered today to elect new leadership, I am humbled and overwhelmed to be the next chair of the Party. To all of the Democrats across our state, I look forward to serving all of you and fighting for a brighter future for all of our fellow Arkansans.

To our new officers, congratulations and thank you to all who stepped up to run,” Gray said.

“We must rally together and unite to work for a better, fairer Arkansas that puts the priorities of its people ahead of the interest of a few. Today we begin this journey together.”

Gray, who defeated challenger Denise Garner of Fayetteville for the party chairmanship, is a farmer in Woodruff County and began serving his first term in the Arkansas House of Representatives in January 2015.

He takes over the state Democratic Party apparatus with its lowest number of state elected officials since the days of Reconstruction. Democrats hold no federal or statewide elected seats and they hold small minorities in both chambers of the Arkansas General Assembly.

The Democratic Party of Arkansas also elected other officers on Saturday at a meeting of the State Committee at the Argenta Community Theatre in North Little Rock.

Those officers include:

First Vice Chair- Nicole Hart

Second Vice Chair for Counties- Dustin Parsons

Second Vice Chair for Auxiliaries- Emily Kearns

Secretary- Mosie Boyd