Colt grew up in Cecil, Arkansas, the son of Ronnie and Lisa Shelby, and is a proud sixth‑generation Arkansan. Colt attended Cecil Methodist Church for nearly 30 years, and it remains an important part of my life. Soon after graduating high school, Colt went to work on drilling rigs for Thornton Drilling out of Van Buren, Arkansas. He stayed with that company for nearly 16 years, working through two buyouts before moving on to a large oil company based in Houston, Texas. Over the last twenty years, Colt’s managed hundreds of millions of dollars in contracts and led teams of men and women with one shared mission: work safely and work responsibly. Colt bought his first home in 2003—where he still lives today—and in 2006 he married my longtime best friend, Elizabeth Burt of Charleston. Together, we’ve raised our three children: Riley, Cooper, and Truett. Like many families, we dreamed of owning a farm, and in 2016 we purchased our first 80 acres. Little by little, we expanded it. While Colt worked away from home, his family tended the cattle and worked the fields. It was the Arkansas dream—raising a family and building a farm through hard work and faith. Colt’s interest in public service began in 2024 when Governor Sanders announced plans to place a 3,000‑bed prison just four miles from his home. As he traveled across multiple counties, he realized that many Arkansans shared concerns not only about this issue but about the overall direction of our state. Colt has attended meetings and events across Arkansas, meeting people who care deeply about our future. Colt has listened to frustrations about education, fiscal responsibility, government transparency, the farm economy, healthcare, infrastructure, crime rates, food insecurity, infant mortality, women’s health, and more. These conversations made one thing clear: Arkansans want common‑sense leadership that puts people first. Our state motto, Regnat Populus—“The People Rule”—should mean something. Too many Arkansans feel like their government is hiding things from the hardworking taxpayers who keep this state running. Colt is running to restore trust, transparency, and accountability to the Governor’s office. Colt hopes to earn your vote on November 3rd, 2026. He believes he’s the right person for this job because he’s willing to listen, to work, and to stand shoulder‑to‑shoulder with the people of Arkansas. Colt can’t fix these issues alone—it will take all of us.
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