Politician/David Turner

David Stephen Turner II (born January 6, 1988) is an American politician who currently serves as the 73rd mayor of Little Rock, Arkansas. He was elected to the position in 2019 and assumed the position on January 1, 2020.

Early Life
David Turner was born in Fayetteville, Arkansas on January 6, 1988. Turner is the son of David Stephen Turner I, a janitor, and Loretta Banks, a cashier. The couple split in 1992 and divorced in 1993. Shortly after the divorce was finalized, his father received full custody. Turner became the 2nd member of his family to graduate High School, and received a full scholarship to the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, where he received a degree in Political Science. He then attended the UALR William H. Bowen School of Law where he received his Juris Doctor degree, and met his future spouse, Caroline Wade. Turner was a Civil Rights Attorney from 2017-2019. He received national recognition in early 2019, where he successfully represented the family of Jafar Bowman in a police brutality lawsuit. Afterwards, he was hired to serve as a Congressional Aide and Legal Advisor to Texas Congresswoman Regina Rannauro (TX-30). Several weeks later, Turner resigned from the position to run for Mayor of Little Rock, Arkansas. During the campaign, Turner and Wade had a child named Oliver.

Political Career
Turner, a self-proclaimed Democratic Socialist, announced his intentions to run for mayor of Little Rock, Arkansas against fellow political newcomer. Joy Beck. The campaign was considered uneventful by most political observers due to the inexperience of both candidates. Turner was believed to have an advantage due to national name recognition, and a major endorsement from The Young Turks that he received 2 weeks before the primary election. Throughout the primary, Turner ran on his refusal to contact Political Action Committees, or outside organizations. He won the nomination with over 58% of the vote on election night, and Beck conceded the next morning over twitter. In the general election, Turner faced pastry chef Bernie Newman, who faced no opposition in the Republican primary. Newman attacked Turner for being absent from the campaign trail for several weeks over the summer, however, Turner responded by pointing out that he was spending some time with his newborn son, who was having some minor health issues. He returned to campaigning later in the summer, and won the general election with 56.6% of the vote, becoming the second black directly elected mayor of Little Rock.