Democrat seeks House District 93 seat in Legislature

BENTONVILLE — State House District 93 in Bentonville has its first announced Democratic candidate since 2014.

Gayatri Agnew, 36, will run for the seat currently held by Rep. Jim Dotson, R-Bentonville.

“Jim Dotson had no opponent at all in the last election,” Agnew said Tuesday. Contested elections are a vital part of the U.S. system of government, and no community as vibrant as Bentonville should be without one, she said.

Dotson recently confirmed he plans to run for re-election. He faces a GOP primary opponent, Gan Nunnally. He ran unopposed in 2016 and defeated his 2014 Democratic opposition with 70 percent of the vote.

Agnew moved to Bentonville in 2014 to accept a position at Walmart, where she oversaw the company’s efforts in global workforce development, veterans reintegration and diversity. Before that, she campaigned for Gov. Christine Gregoire of Washington and was appointed by her to the board of a community college. This is Agnew’s first bid for public office.

She has a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s degree in business administration, Agnew said, both from Seattle University.

“I come from a low-income family and put myself through college,” she said. “I’m still paying off student loan debt, but I think it was the best money I ever spent.

“When people ask me ‘How’s Arkansas?’ I tell them I love everything about this community but the local politics,” Agnew said.

Asked what her priority would be if elected, she said: “Jobs. Also, jobs and jobs.” Other important areas the state faces such as health care and education cannot be adequately addressed without a growing tax base, she said.

“We’re really blessed with a thriving economy in Northwest Arkansas, but it is based on a few really large employers,” Agnew said. Bentonville in particular is seeing more new small businesses take root, but not enough, she said.

“It’s time for something new in Bentonville, and that’s what I represent,” she said.

Agnew will host a campaign kickoff event at Bentonville Butcher & Pint, 1201 S. Walton Blvd., from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.

Candidate filing for party primaries begins Feb. 22 and ends March 1. The primary is set for May 22 with the general election Nov. 6. Arkansas House members serve twoyear terms and have an annual salary of $39,400. Members can serve 16 years in the Legislature under the state constitution’s limit on terms.

Agnew