Scott Flippo

The son of William Patterson "Pat" Flippo[1] and Katherine W. Flippo of Mountain Home in Baxter County,[2] Flippo is a 1998 graduate of Mountain Home High School and a 2003 alumnus in business administration of the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.[3] He is a native and resident of Mountain Home and the owner of Flippo's Carefree Living, an assisted living facility in Bull Shoals in Marion County.[4]

In the runoff election held on June 10, 2014, Flippo defeated the District 98 State Representative John Burris of Harrison, 3,913 (51.3 percent) to 3,712 (48.7 percent).[5] With no Democratic opponent in the heavily Republican district in the November 4 general election, Flippo became both the Republican nominee and the Senator-elect to succeed fellow Republican Johnny Key, also of Mountain Home,[5] who has applied for a position as vice chancellor of governmental affairs with the University of Arkansas.[4]

Burris had led the primary election balloting on May 20 with 43 percent of the vote, barely ahead of Flippo, who polled 42 percent. A third candidate, David Osmon, the mayor of Mountain Home, held the remaining but critical 16 percent of the votes cast.[6]

Burris was the leading spokesman for the state's "private option" Medicaid expansion proposal, which he had considered essential to keeping open rural hospitals in Arkansas. Under the plan, federal Medicaid funds are earmarked to purchase health insurance for the 170,000 indigent persons in Arkansas. Osmon also supports the private option plan.[7][8] Flippo carried the backing of several Republican lawmakers who oppose the "private option" championed by Burris. One of those lawmakers is outgoing District 21 Representative Terry Rice of Waldron, who unseated District 9 Senator Bruce Holland in the Republican runoff primary.[7] Another surrogate for the Flippo campaign was Curtis Coleman, an opponent of the private option plan who lost the Republican gubernatorial nomination to Asa Hutchinson in 2014. Coleman carried only Flippo's Baxter County in his race against Hutchinson.[9]

Flippo, who calls himself conservative, said of his opponent Burris: "He is the architect and leader of bringing Obamacare to Arkansas through the private option. He voted to implement Common Core standards in Arkansas. He ... proposed doubling legislative salaries. He has consistently ranked in the top 10 in receiving reimbursements since taking office. These are all facts, and these are the distinctions in our campaigns."[10]