Democratic candidate for governor visits for voting rally
Jared Henderson, Democratic nominee for governor, visited El Dorado yesterday for a rally at the Union County Democratic Party headquarters. Susan Inman, Democratic nominee for Arkansas Secretary of State, was also in attendance.
Henderson is running against incumbent Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson and Libertarian Mark West. Inman is running against Republican John Thurston and Libertarian Christopher Olson.
Henderson is running on a multi-tiered platform. The main tenet is that Arkansas can be the best state in the country for public school teachers.
“A lot of it was informed by my time working in the Delta and South Arkansas for the last 10 years in public education,” Henderson said, noting that he was the former state director for Teach for America. “It involves teacher pay, reducing bureaucracy, and also improving training and support.”
He also emphasized small business development throughout the state, health care cost reductions, infrastructure investment and breaking the cycle of childhood poverty. Henderson said several of the policies he is running on should have bipartisan support in the
Arkansas legislature; for other issues, he said he will take a more grassroots approach.
“I think on small business developments, I think on some of the things we want to do with teachers, that should be bipartisan,” he said. “If we can’t work to pass things through the legislature, then we’ll have to work with individual communities, rally philanthropy [and] local civic organizations to figure out how to make progress. There’s different ways to get things done. A governor doesn’t always have to pass a law.”
He urged a packed house of local voters to stay the course no matter what the outcome of Tuesday’s election is.
“Over the last year, I have become absolutely convinced that in the very near future, Arkansas is absolutely going to have one hell of a strong progressive, compassionate, inclusive, fact-based Democratic party,” Henderson said to strong applause. “We are doing this all because we believe in a better future, where everyone has a fair shot of living happy, fulfilling lives that allow them to have the type of family they want to make the biggest contribution to the world they can.”
Inman’s platform centers around making voting more accessible for everyone in the state. She said she would like to institute automatic voter registration and online registration, which garnered loud cheers from the Democrats gathered to hear her.
She is also proposing a vote by mail system, which she said would allow voters an opportunity to cast more informed votes. She also said election officials and volunteers should undergo more training. On the first day of early voting, Inman was left off the ballot in Garland County due to unfinished testing on the voting machines.
“I want you and Arkansas to have a Secretary of State that cares whether you vote or not,” Inman said. “It’s all about informing people and getting us to participate mindfully and know what we’re voting for or what we’re voting against. There’s something wrong with our leadership if nobody wants us to know what’s going on or who we’re voting for.”
Inman previously served as the state election director under Sharon Priest, the first woman elected to the Secretary of State position in Arkansas. Inman said she hopes to be the second come Tuesday.
“I’m the only candidate for Secretary of State that has the qualifications,” Inman said. “My preparedness far exceeds my opponents’.”
Voters of varied demographics turned out for the event. Angelica Wurth said she has been volunteering for Democratic candidates, including Henderson and Democratic candidate for El Dorado mayor Veronica SmithCreer and Democratic candidate for U.S. House Hayden Shamel. She will also work as a poll watcher Tuesday night.
“People were really nice,” Wurth said. “100 percent let us put signs in their yards.”
Wurth said she feels like the Democratic party’s principles are community focused. She said she early voted for all Democratic candidates.
“[I’m] making sure that I do my part and put the right people in office,” Wurth said.
Neyleea Gonzalez, Magnus Gray and Austin Hammons travelled from Warren to meet Henderson. The three University of Arkansas at Monticello students had different reasons for coming to the event.
“Would I call myself a Democrat? Yes. … I just agree with more liberal ideas,” Gonzalez said. She said the most important issue for her in this election is education.
“Education is very important to me. I believe teachers need a higher salary,” Gonzalez said. She added that she early voted mostly for Democrats.
Gray, an independent, said he also early voted for Democratic, Libertarian and Republican candidates. He said the most important issue for him in this election is lower taxes.
“I was interested in hearing what they had to say … [and] learning about these wonderful candidates,” Gray said.
Hammons also said education was his most important issue this election. He said when he early voted, he voted straight ticket Democrat; no Republicans, “not even local.”
“I’ve loved Jared ever since I found out about him through social media,” Hammons said.
Some of El Dorado High School’s Young Democrats were also there. Hafsa Ali, who is only 16 this year and will not be able to vote until 2020, said she wanted to learn more about politics.
“I want to be more active in our community, politically,” Ali said. She said she was inspired to get involved after the 2016 election, which she said made her more aware of the issues she and her community could face.
Sharay Castanon Franco said this would be her first time to vote. She said she was waiting to vote until Tuesday “to get the full election experience.”
Franco said she planned to vote straight ticket Democrat. She said she came to yesterday’s event after having spoken to Henderson via video chat in her AP Civics class at EHS.
“He spoke about things that I think are very important,” she said.
Franco said education and representation of minorities are just some of the issues Henderson addressed with her class that inspired her.
“The education policy of Democrats aligned with my perspective,” Franco said.
Wanda Young, a volunteer for the Union County Democrats, said voter turnout so far has been record setting for Union County, with 4,948 votes having been cast as of yesterday afternoon.
Young said the Democratic headquarters, located at the corner of Jefferson and Elm streets, has been open throughout early voting and will be open Monday and Tuesday as voting continues. She said Democratic volunteers are still canvassing for their candidates and that she has seen incredible energy from voters.
“One reason [there is so much] energy is the great candidates Democrats have put forward on every level,” Young said. “[They stick to] core values and they’re willing to push those forward.”
Young said the party is offering rides to the polls to anyone who needs one. For a ride, call 870-444-6110 or email unioncountyardemocrats@gmail.com.
Democratic candidate for Union County Coroner Martavious Carrigan was also in attendance, along with sitting Justice of the Peace for District 3, Greg Harrison.
Henderson ended the visit by speaking individually with voters. He left supporters with one request:
“My ask for you is that after Tuesday night … Whatever happens, stay at it,” Henderson said. “If we keep working; if we keep building; if we keep organizing; if we keep reaching more and more and more people, it’s just a matter of time until our politics start to win and until we start to really make the type of progress that we know we must have in this state.”