Mark Lunsford Pryor (born January 10, 1963) is an American attorney, politician and lobbyist who served as a United States Senator from Arkansas from 2003 to 2015.

Prior to entering politics, Pryor worked as a private practice attorney focusing on civil litigation.

In 1994, he ran for Arkansas Attorney General, challenging incumbent Winston Bryant in the Democratic primary.

Pryor was recognized for providing a high level of constituent service, and he helped to secure millions of dollars in highway funds for the state.

[10] In late 2001, Pryor announced his candidacy for the Senate seat held by Tim Hutchinson, who six years earlier had become the first Arkansas Republican to serve in that body since Reconstruction.

The seat had been held by his father David Pryor (also a former Arkansas governor), who actively campaigned for his son.

[11] The only Republican to express interest in the race, health care executive Tom Formicola, decided not to run.

"[14] FactCheck.org called two ads aired by Pryor's 2014 Senate campaign misleading in their criticisms of Paul Ryan's Medicare plan, supported by his opponent.

Somewhat atypically, Pryor was the Baby of the Senate for 19 days in January 2009, at age 45, despite never having held that distinction in his first term.

This was due to the defeat of the younger John E. Sununu, making Pryor the oldest member to ever be the youngest within the Senate until the appointment of Michael Bennet.

In June 2007, before the annual Arkansas Democratic Party Jefferson-Jackson dinner, Pryor announced his endorsement of his colleague Sen. Hillary Clinton for president of the United States.

[21] The bill would repeal the provision of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013 that would reduce the amount of the annual cost of living increase to non-disabled military veterans under age 62.

[22] The Congressional Budget Office estimated that enacting Pryor's bill would stop the reduction of $6.813 billion from the amount paid to veterans annually.

[25][26] In April 2014, the United States Senate debated the Minimum Wage Fairness Act (S. 1737; 113th Congress).

The bill would amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) to increase the federal minimum wage for employees to $10.10 per hour over the course of a two-year period.

"[31] Senator Pryor was consistently force against proposed cuts to conservation, rural development, agriculture research, nutrition, and forestry programs.

On March 15, 2007, Pryor was one of two Democratic senators to vote against a resolution aimed at withdrawing most American combat troops from Iraq in 2008.

This effectively ended any threat of a Democratic filibuster (and thus also avoided the Republican leadership's threatened implementation of the so-called nuclear option).

The threat of a filibuster removed, Republicans were able to force cloture on the three most conservative Bush appellate court nominees (Janice Rogers Brown, Priscilla Owen and William Pryor-no close relation), who subsequently passed a vote by the full Republican-controlled Senate.

[59] During the 2016 and 2020 United States presidential election Pryor was a member of the Platform Committee for the Democratic National Convention.

"[4] As of 2021, Pryor's clients include drugmaker Eli Lilly and Company, meat processor Tyson Foods, power and natural gas conglomerate Duke Energy, and auto manufacturer General Motors, among others.

[64] His treatment and rehabilitation took 15 months, and he was told by one doctor that he might have to have his leg amputated, but it was discovered early enough and the cancer was successfully removed.