Incumbents win in House contests
Races included three for Democrats, 13 for GOP, pair of special elections
A host of Republican leaders in the Arkansas House of Representatives withstood primary challengers Tuesday.
House Majority Whip Rep. Brandt Smith, R-Jonesboro, and Speaker Pro-Tempore Rep. Jon Eubanks, R-Paris, defeated challengers from their own party.
House Majority Leader Rep. Marcus Richmond, R-Gravelly, prevailed Tuesday in the Republican primary for House District 21 against former teacher and outdoors radio host Jim Reynolds.
Unofficial returns were: Richmond . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,854 Reynolds . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,795
Tuesday’s election included 13 contested Republican primaries for the Arkansas House of Representatives, three contested Democratic House primaries, and special elections to replace a state representative who was expelled over unpaid state taxes and another who died.
Whether or not Arkansans should vote to indefinitely extend the state’s half percent sales tax for highway funding through ballot Issue 1 in November has been the defining issue in most of the Republican primary races.
Richmond was challenged by Reynolds for the House District 21 seat, a spread-out district that includes portions of Scott, Perry, Garland,
Yell, Crawford, Sebastian and Polk counties.
Reynolds said he wasn’t challenging Richmond over any particular vote, but that the timing was right for him to seek elected office, a longtime goal.
The pair of Republicans disagreed primarily on highway taxes and private school vouchers.
The winner will be the next District 21 representative because no other candidates filed for the seat.
Smith, the House Republican whip, withstood a primary challenge from Jonesboro car dealer, Ken Yarbrough, in House District 58 in Craighead County.
Similarly, Yarbrough said his challenge of Smith didn’t center on any particular action.
The two northeast Arkansas Republicans split over their positions on vouchers and highway funding.
Unofficial returns were:
Smith ................ 2,260 Yarbrough . . . . . . . . . . . 1,440
Smith will face Jonesboro Democrat Jim Burton in November.
Eubanks, the speaker pro-tempore, faced two challengers to represent House District 74, which includes portions of Logan, Franklin, Scott and Sebastian counties.
After initially saying that he wouldn’t seek a sixth term, Eubanks was challenged by longtime Paris teacher Curtis Varnell and Subiaco general contractor Shawn Bates.
Eubanks held a substantial lead late Tuesday.
Unofficial returns were:
Eubanks ............... 2,212 Varnell ................. 876 Bates ................... 448 The winner will face Paris Democrat June Anteski in the general election on Nov. 3.
Another of the most closely watched races was the three-way Republican primary for House District 90 in Northwest Arkansas, which will head to a March 31 runoff between incumbent state Rep. Jana Della Rosa, R-Rogers, and Cave Springs attorney Kendon Underwood.
The race featured Della Rosa, Underwood and former pastor Chris Latimer of Rogers.
Della Rosa beat Underwood by only three votes in the 2018 Republican primary.
The runoff winner will face Lowell Democrat Kelly Ross Krout in November.
Unofficial returns were:
Della Rosa . . . . . . . . . 1,503 Underwood . . . . . . . 1,249 Latimer ............ 722
In northeast Arkansas, the three-way Republican primary to replace Rep. Dan Sullivan, R-Jonesboro, drew substantial interest, and it will head to a runoff between Lake City Mayor Jon Milligan and Jonesboro Dr. Cole Peck.
Sullivan didn’t seek reelection to the House District 53, choosing instead to run against state Sen. John Cooper, R-Jonesboro, for the Republican nomination for Senate District 21.
Milligan, Peck and Jonesboro City Council Member Bobby Long sought the Republican nomination.
Unofficial returns were:
Peck .............. 1,394 Milligan ........... 1,128 Long ............... 909
The winner of the March 31 primary runoff will face Shawn Only, a Jonesboro Democrat, in the November general election.
In Saline County, a pair of Benton Republicans squared off in a closely watched race that included a court challenge to the residency of a candidate.
On Tuesday, Tony Furman defeated Marietta McClure in the House District 28 Republican primary.
The Saline County seat is being vacated by Rep. Jasen Kelly, R-Benton, who decided not to seek a second term.
Furman will be the next District 28 representative because no other candidates filed for the seat.
Furman in a phone interview late Tuesday said he thought he won the race, in part, because he branded himself as the “true conservative” in the contest.
“I’m thankful the people put their trust in me to be their representative,” he said.
Unofficial returns were:
Furman ........... 1,851 McClure ........... 1,196
In Garland County, Justice of the Peace Richard McGrew won the House District 22 special election against Libertarian Judy Bowers, and he will serve the remaining nine months of former state Rep. Mickey Gates’ term. Gates, a Hot Springs Republican, was expelled from the House last year after he pleaded no contest to a charge that he failed to pay state income taxes.
Also Tuesday, McGrew beat Jack Wells and Richard Midkiff in the Republican primary for the 2021-22 House District 22 term.
“I think I had the most experience and the best qualifications, and I think the voters were able to see that,” he said.
McGrew will have a rematch with Bowers in the November general election.
Unofficial returns were:
McGrew . . . . . . . . . . 2,696 Wells .............. 1,419 Midkiff ............. 453
In Pulaski County, David Ray was leading Karyn Maynard late Tuesday in the Republican primary for House District 40, which is currently held by Rep. Douglas House, R-North Little Rock, who isn’t seeking reelection.
Unofficial returns were:
Ray ............... 1,921 Maynard .......... 1,241
Also in Pulaski County, Joyce Springer on Tuesday won a three-way Democratic primary for House District 34 against Ryan Davis and Lee Miller. Springer will face independent Roderick Talley again in the Nov. 3 general election.
The seat was held by Rep. John Walker, D-Little Rock. Walker died in October.
Unofficial returns were:
Springer . . . . . . . . . . . 2,378 Davis .............. 1,030 Miller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282
With all precincts reporting in the House District 34 special election, Springer defeated Talley to fill out the remainder of Walker’s term.
Springer . . . . . . . . . . . 2,520 Talley .............. 718