Landers will get endorsement from former enterprise accomplice and BET founder

Robert L. Johnson, the founding father of BET, has endorsed his former enterprise accomplice Steve Landers for Little Rock mayor. Landers and Thomas “Mack” McLarty, President Invoice Clinton’s first chief of workers, shaped RML Automotive within the early aughts. Landers later offered his stake within the firm.

Johnson has drawn some warmth for his previous ventures into politics. In supporting Hillary Clinton’s 2008 run to be the Democratic nominee for president, he mentioned,  “As an African-American, I’m frankly insulted that the Obama marketing campaign would indicate that we’re so silly that we’d assume Invoice and Hillary Clinton, who’ve been deeply and emotionally concerned in Black points when Barack Obama was doing one thing within the neighborhood that — and I gained’t say what he was doing, however he mentioned it in his e book — once they have been concerned.” That remark was extensively thought-about to be a touch at Obama’s previous drug use. Johnson later apologized.

In 2020, forward of the presidential election through which he endorsed Trump, Johnson said on CNBC that he was viewing the election between Joe Biden and Donald Trump from a business perspective.

“The place I come out as a businessman, I’ll take the satan I do know over the satan I don’t know anytime of the week,” Johnson mentioned.

Landers, on social media, has made a degree to repeatedly put up footage of himself with Black residents. Will that and an endorsement from a wealthy Black businessman who lives out of state assist Landers broaden his base of help as he seeks to unseat Little Rock’s first popularly elected Black mayor?

LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas (Oct. 5, 2022) – Robert L. Johnson, founding father of Black
Leisure Tv (BET), and a extremely revered American enterprise icon, has
endorsed Steve Landers for mayor of Little Rock.

Johnson, chairman of RLJ Firms, LLC, a diversified enterprise holding firm, owns pursuits in hospitality, non-public fairness, monetary providers, and automotive dealerships. It’s by means of Johnson’s partnership with Landers in RML Automotive that Johnson got here to know and respect Landers’ management and managerial abilities.

“I’ve identified Steve Landers since we partnered over 17 years in the past with Mack McLarty in RML Automotive,” Johnson mentioned. “Steve’s potential to assemble individuals from all walks of life, lead them as workforce, and get outcomes, has lengthy impressed me. At present, I’m assured Steve Landers can put these inclusive abilities to work for all the great of us of Little Rock and enhance town’s financial growth, high quality of life, infrastructure, and public security.”

The endorsement by Johnson provides to Landers’ popularity of recognizing the power of range and dealing with minority communities.

Landers mentioned of Johnson’s endorsement, “Bob Johnson’s endorsement of our marketing campaign is thrilling and one for which I will probably be eternally grateful. Bob is aware of me properly by means of our enterprise partnership. I respect his confidence within the confirmed file I’ve established for tackling issues and together with a various group of individuals to unravel these issues. Bob is aware of I’ll convey that very same can-do work ethic to the mayor’s workplace.”

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