Conway Republican to vie for House seat

Attorney and Conway native Trent Minner announced a Republican bid for Arkansas House District 72 on Tuesday.

The seat has been held by Democrat Stephen Magie of Conway since 2013. Magie’s fifth two-year term ends in January 2023.

Minner, an assistant attorney general in the office’s public protection division, said in an interview that his top priorities are better schools, access to health care, and jobs growth. He said those issues are important to people across the political spectrum, and he believes there are conservative solutions.

“I’m running as a Republican because I believe in conservative solutions to Arkansas’ problems,” Minner, 28, said in a campaign video on social media. “Conway is home. I’ve carried with me the conservative values that I’ve learned here and I’m ready to represent those values in the state Capitol.”

Magie, an ophthalmologist, indicated Tuesday that he plans to run for reelection.

“I’m a doctor, not a politician which means my focus is always on what’s best for my district, just like it is with my patients. I’ve worked hard to create jobs in Conway, expand access to healthcare, and improve our public schools. I look forward to once again serving the people of Conway,” he said in an email.

House District 72 is in Faulkner County. It runs south from Beaver Fork Lake to Airport Road and is bordered by Donaghey Avenue to the east and by Skunk Hollow Road to the west.

The state Board of Apportionment is expected to redraw the boundaries of all 35 Senate and 100 House of Representatives seats later this year based on information from the 2020 U.S. Census. The board is comprised of the governor, attorney general and secretary of state, all three of whom are Republicans.

The filing period for candidates for state and federal offices in Arkansas is Feb. 22-March 1. The primary election and nonpartisan judicial election is May 24, according to the secretary of state’s office.

The Arkansas House consists of 78 Republicans and 22 Democrats.