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Joseph K. Wood
American politician From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Joseph K. Wood is an American judge and politician serving as the chair of the Arkansas Republican Party since August 2023. He previously served as Secretary of Transformation & Shared Services in Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders' cabinet in 2023. He served two terms as Washington County judge, being elected in 2016 and reelected in 2018.
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Early life and education
Joseph Wood was born in Chicago.[1] He was abandoned as a newborn and lived in an orphanage until his adoption. He is the author of a book series about a child who is adopted.[2] He graduated from Iowa State University in 1987 and Ecclesia College in 2016.[1]
Political career
In 2008, Wood lost a campaign to be state party chair of the Arkansas Republican Party to Doyle Webb.[3] He was elected Washington County judge in 2016 and reelected in 2018.[2] He was the first Black judge elected in Arkansas.[citation needed] He lost the Republican primary in the 2022 Arkansas lieutenant gubernatorial election, placing fourth with 8.60% of the vote.[1] During the campaign, he describes himself as a Conservative Republican.[4]
In January 2023, he was appointed Secretary of Transformation & Shared Services in Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders' cabinet.[3] In August 2023, he was named chairman of the Arkansas Republican Party.[5] He was replaced in Huckabee's cabinet by Aide Fisken in September 2023.[6] In June 2024, Wood was replaced as chairman of the Arkansas Republican Party convention for a day by Saline County attorney Jennifer Lancaster in a rejection of party leadership.[7] Wood served as a presidential elector for the 3rd congressional district, pledged to vote for Donald Trump.[8] In 2025 Wood was appointed to the seven-member Black History Commission of Arkansas; his term ends in 2026.[9]
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References
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