Cooper ran for the District 59 Arkansas House of Representatives in 2012 against Democrat Butch Wilkins. Wilkins defeated Cooper, but was term-limited in 2014.[1]
Cooper intended to run for the District 59 seat again in 2014, but rather entered a special election for District 21 in the Arkansas Senate following Paul Bookout's resignation in 2013 under an ethics cloud.[2] In the three- candidate Republican primary on October 8, 2013,[3] Cooper won the primary by 6 votes over Dan Sullivan, with Chad Niell in a distant third, but failed to obtain the 50% necessary to avoid a runoff election.[4] Cooper defeated Sullivan in the November 12, 2013 runoff by 67 votes.67 votes[5]
The general election pitted Cooper against Steven Eric Rockwell, who had emerged from a Democratic primary. Cooper carried the support of the Tea Party movement. Rockwell manages his family printing and publishing business in Jonesboro and called himself a "centrist" in the race.[6] Retiring Democratic Governor Mike Beebe cut ads for Rockwell.[7] The election quickly became centered on the Private Option, with Rockwell for and Cooper against. It was also closely watched as a bellwether for the November 2014 elections in Arkansas.[8][9]
Cooper won election on January 14, 2014, and was seated in the 89th Arkansas General Assembly. Cooper became the 23rd Republican in the 35-member Arkansas Senate, which had been 100 percent Democratic until 1969. In the campaign, Cooper said that he considers ethics reform and wasteful government spending among his legislative priorities.[1]
In November 2016, Cooper won re-election to a full term in the Arkansas Senate unopposed in either the Republican primary or the general election.[11]
Cooper was primaried by House Rep. Dan Sullivan in March 2020.
Sullivan went on to win the seat unopposed in November, and was seated in the 93rd Arkansas General Assembly.
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