House faces decision on next speaker

Little Rock, El Dorado legislators pursuing post

After wrapping the monthlong 2019 fiscal session, House lawmakers will have one final order of business today: electing a new speaker for the next General Assembly.

The current speaker, Rep. Jeremy Gillam, R-Judsonia, is not running for re-election to his House seat and his term as both representative and speaker will expire in January 2019.

Seeking to become the next House leader are state Rep. Andy Davis, R-Little Rock, and Rep. Matthew Shepherd, R-El Dorado.

The speaker — besides getting his own chair perched over the rest of the chamber — has the authority to oversee debate, direct bills to the various committees and appoint committee leadership.

Under newly vested powers approved in 2017, the speaker also has the power to appoint the rank-and-file membership of each committee, which has turned into one of the definitive issues of this speaker’s race — as some lawmakers have hinted they may want to take another look at the rule changes.

Neither Shepherd nor Davis said publicly what rule changes, if any, they would seek if elected speaker.

Another issue that could play a role in the race has a history dating back further than last year: geography.

Little Rock has had a dearth of House speakers, which is considered one of the most influential positions in state government. The last speaker from Little Rock was Democrat Sterling Cockrill Jr. in 1968. The last speaker from El Dorado was Albert Rust in 1846.

Both Shepherd and Davis made a note of saying they were running to represent all of Arkansas, but Davis said perceptions matter.

“I think maybe more it’s just a matter of pride, people like to say, ‘Yeah, we got the speaker from our area,’” Davis said.

Shepherd said because he’s from south Arkansas, he is relying on a coalition from around the state.

“I think that the relationships I’ve made here in the House, and hopefully as someone that can work across the aisle and help build a consensus, I think those are all things that I think would be very valuable to a speaker,” Shepherd said.

On paper, not much divides the two candidates. Both are Republicans, but neither is considered part of the party’s far-right wing, and both have risen to leadership roles. Shepherd is chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, while Davis is chairman of the Rules Committee. Shepherd is an attorney and Davis is an engineer.

In interviews, their colleagues in the House described both candidates in genial terms.

“The general sentiment among the members and the people I’ve talked to is that Andy is a little more conservative,” said Rep. Michelle Gray, R-Melbourne, who announced her support for Davis after she withdrew from the race last year.

Gray said she sided with Davis for his “communication skills,” but said other members are looking at the race with the hope of rolling back the new House rules giving the speaker the authority to assign committee membership.

The rules were proposed by Gillam and passed with broad Republican support after Democrats — with only 26 seats in the 100-member House — managed to wrangle a majority on the influential House Revenue and Taxation Committee (their majority was later lost after several Democrats switched parties).

The Republican Party of Arkansas later denounced the rule changes. And Democrats, despite having only 24 members in the House, could still be an influential voting bloc.

“I think [the rule changes] have been a hot topic,” said state Rep. Vivian Flowers, D-Pine Bluff, the chairman of the Legislative Black Caucus. “I don’t care who you talk to, you’re going to hear people wanting to see that reversed in all caucuses.”

Several representatives who spoke about the speaker’s race described it was being “close.” In an interview, Shepherd said he felt like he had the 51 votes needed to win, while Davis said, “I would always like to have a few more votes.”

Gillam has not publicly endorsed either candidate. The winner of a secret ballot vote on Monday will become the speaker-designate. Gillam will continue his duties through this week’s planned special session.

The formal vote to elect the new speaker will take place on the first day of the next regular session starting in January 2019, and could be affected by the outcome of the November election. Davis faces a challenge in November from Democrat Randy Haun. Shepherd does not have an opponent.

“I think [the rule changes] have been a hot topic.”

— State Rep. Vivian Flowers, D-Pine Bluff