Democrat Garner ousts Rep. Collins

Second GOP incumbent in close race

2018-11-07 - DOUG THOMPSON

FAYETTEVILLE — Democratic challenger Denise

Garner defeated four-term incumbent Rep. Charlie Collins in the veteran legislator’s first race after passing his longsought “guns on campus” bill.

And another upset, Democratic newcomer Megan Godfrey of Springdale ended the night 30 votes ahead of Rep. Jeff Williams, R-Springdale, in a race with a much lower turnout. Collins’ gun measure rankled state university and college staffs across Arkansas, among others. “I’m thrilled not just for myself, but for this team who has worked so hard on a grassroots effort that was an uphill battle every day,” Garner said of her apparent victory.

Collins’ Republican-held seat in state House District 84 was considered the Democrats’ best chance in predominately Republican Northwest Arkansas. Other Democratic challengers all acknowledged their long odds in a year where Democrats fielded more House challengers than at any time.

In all, Collins and Williams are the only two of nine incumbent Republicans in the state House in Northwest Arkansas with a challenger who failed to win re-election.

State House members serve two-year terms and have an annual salary of $39,400.

DISTRICT 84

Garner brought a homegrown base of support from decades of work with local nonprofit groups and causes. She also drew support from around the state in response to Collins’ championing of a bill that allowed concealed carry permit holders to bring their guns onto state college and university campuses if they get extra training.

Final but unofficial vote totals were:

Garner . . . . . . . . . 7,456 (55%) Collins . . . . . . . . . . 6,016 (45%)

District 84 stretches from northern West Fork to southern Springdale. It takes in the eastern side of Fayetteville but does not include the grounds of the University of Arkansas, where Collins’ gun legislation stirred the most protest.

Garner of Fayetteville criticized Collins for the way the gun measure was passed as much as the content of the bill. Her campaign said Collins rolled over opponents concerns on that bill and others. As a director of nonprofit efforts, Garner, 61, previously said she would foster a more cooperative approach if elected. “Democracy doesn’t work if everybody doesn’t participate,” she said.

On health care, Collins, 55, also of Fayetteville, said the support of conservative lawmakers like him was vital to getting the state’s innovative health care plan passed in 2013 and renewing it in subsequent years. He is co-owner of Crown Partners Executive Search, a job recruitment firm.

DISTRICT 87

Rep. Robin Lundstrum, R-Elm Springs, won her third term and prevailed against her first Democratic challenger, attorney Kelly Scott Unger, 36, of Siloam Springs. With all nine precincts in Benton County and with early and absentee votes in Washington County, unofficial vote totals were:

Lundstrum . . . . 6,640 (70%) Unger . . . . . . . . . 2,804 (30%)

Lundstrum, 55, is a real estate manager who was a longtime campaign worker and manager before running for office. Lundstrum won a Republican primary in 2014 but faced no Democratic challenge that year. She was completely unopposed in 2016.

Lundstrum said in the campaign she has proven her effectiveness in representing the whole district. The needs of Siloam Springs needed more emphasis, Unger contended.

House District 87 stretches from Thompson Street in Springdale in the east to the Oklahoma border on the west, taking in most of Elm Springs, Tontitown and Siloam Springs. The district is heavily Republican, both candidates said.

A conservative agenda and the needs of Siloam Springs greatly overlap, but the overlap is not perfect, Unger has said. She is an attorney.

DISTRICT 89

Freshman lawmaker Williams, R-Springdale, apparently lost his second term bid against Democratic challenger Megan Godfrey, also of Springdale.

Final but incomplete vote totals were:

Godfrey . . . . . . . . 1,857 (50%) Williams . . . . . . . . 1,827 (50%)

The downtown Springdale district stretches from 40th Street on the west past Butterfield Coach Road on the east. It goes from U.S. 412 on the south to the Benton County line on the north.

Godfrey, 36, is a Springdale High School graduate who returned to her hometown to raise her family, she said. She worked in the Springdale School District for nine years as a teacher and as a curriculum specialist for the district’s English as a Second Language program. This was her first political race. She is a fluent Spanish speaker who said during the campaign that many voters in the area responded well to being addressed in their language by an Anglo.

Williams, 55, is a former county assessor who has also served on the Springdale City Council in the past. Williams campaigned on a record of achievements that includes convincing the governor’s administration to extend ArKids state health plan benefits to the Marshallese population, a long-sought goal of child welfare advocates that also required legislation Williams sponsored.

DISTRICT 90

Rep. Jana Della Rosa, R-Rogers, cruised into a third term Tuesday after wining the May GOP primary by a mere three votes. Political newcomer Kati McFarland of Bethel Heights was Della Rosa’s first-ever Democratic opponent.

The complete but unofficial vote totals were:

Della Rosa . . . . . . 7,299 (66%) McFarland . . . . . . 3,689 (33%)

Della Rosa, 42, has said she will continue her efforts to change campaign finance laws. She sponsored and supported legislation that now requires lawmakers to file electronic campaign finance reports, which are more readily accessible to the public than paper forms.

McFarland never responded to interview requests. She made news nationwide on Feb. 22, 2017, when she questioned U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., at a forum in Springdale during GOP efforts to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. McFarland said she has a rare, genetic medical condition that often requires her to use a wheelchair.

Della Rosa cited her experience, not just in the Legislature but as a trained engineer and as a parent, as her chief qualifications compared to McFarland. The representative’s occupation is homemaker.

District 90 includes portions of Rogers, Lowell, northern Springdale, southeastern Cave Springs and a section of northern Elm Springs.

DISTRICT 92

Republican Gayla Hendren McKenzie, 53, of Gravette will succeed her father as House District 92 representative, defeating Democratic candidate Chris Birch, 29.

The complete but unofficial vote totals were: McKenzie . . . . . . 8,970 (71%) Birch . . . . . . . . . . . 3,615 (29%)

Opposing a political family dynasty was a major part of Birch’s decision to challenge McKenzie, he has said in interviews. It was a first bid for elective office by either candidate in the race.

District 92 covers Arkansas’ farthest northwestern corner, bordering both Missouri and Oklahoma. The district includes western Bella Vista and all of Gravette and Decatur.

Birch is a law clerk in Springdale awaiting his bar exam to practice law. McKenzie is a business owner, former owner of a radio station and daughter of Rep. Kim Hendren, R-Gravette. Her brother is state Senate Majority Leader Jim Hendren and her uncle is Gov. Asa Hutchinson. She is also an attorney.

DISTRICT 93

Jim Dotson, the House chairman of the Arkansas Legislative Council, won re-election Tuesday against Democratic challenger Gayatri Agnew in the House race for fast-growing District 93 in Bentonville.

The complete but unofficial vote totals were: Dotson . . . . . . . . .6,639 (58%) Agnew . . . . . . . . 4,804 (42%)

Dotson, 40, makes keeping a tight rein on the state budget a priority as council chairman, he has said. He has served three terms in the House and was a Bentonville City Council member before that. The Legislative Council is the committee that keeps watch over state government when the Legislature is not in session. It has two chairmen, one for the House and one for the Senate. The House Speaker appoints the council chairman for that chamber.

Agnew, 37, an executive at a charitable foundation, made her first bid for political office in part because Dotson is too preoccupied with ideological issues rather than specific district interests, she said during the race.

The core of District 93 is in Bentonville, but it reaches to eastern Centerton in the south and west and the border of Little Flock on the east.

DISTRICT 94

Rep. Rebecca Petty, R-Rogers, defeated her third Democratic challenger in a row in the downtown Rogers district.

Democrat

Jene Huffman-Gilreath, 41, acknowledged winning the district would be an uphill fight in an interview before the election, but hoped momentum was shifting in Democrats’ direction.

The complete but unofficial vote totals were:

Petty . . . . . . . . . . . 3,956 (56%) Huffman-Gilreath. 3,074(44%)

Petty, 48, mother of a 1999 murder victim, is known for being an advocate for child safety, the rights of victims’ families and for law enforcement issues. Huffman-Gilreath said in the campaign that Petty had a compelling life story but was too focused on those issues. Petty said throughout the campaign that the same issue had been used against her before without success or validity.

Petty is a consultant to the U.S. Justice Department. Huffman-Gilreath is a manager at Rogers water utility.

DISTRICT 95

Rep. Austin McCollum, R-Bentonville, fended off the first Democratic candidate to run in the district since 2002, defeating challenger Celeste Williams of Bella Vista to retain his seat. This will be his second term.

The complete but unofficial vote totals were: McCollum . . . . . . 7,476 (65%) Williams . . . . . . . . 3,948 (35%)

As a freshman, McCollum is one of the lawmakers who opposed renewal of the state health care plan, which accepts Medicaid expansion money. McCollum, 27, is a business and retail analyst.

Many in the district need that health care plan and more besides, said Williams. “We don’t have enough health care professionals to meet our needs, and we’re cutting funding” to the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Williams said. “We’re shooting ourselves in the foot.” Williams, 43, is a nurse practitioner.

The district includes much of eastern Bella Vista, all of Pea Ridge and Little Flock and a portions of Bentonville and Rogers.

DISTRICT 96

Rep. Grant Hodges, R-Rogers, won his third term Tuesday, defeating political newcomer Christie Craig, a Democrat.

The complete but unofficial vote totals were:

Hodges . . . . . . . . .5,349 (68%) Craig . . . . . . . . . . .2,496 (32%)

House District 96 stretches through eastern Benton County from the Missouri border to the Washington County line. A portion of eastern Rogers is its most densely populated area.

Hodges, 28, said in an interview before the election that he represents the conservative values of the district, noting he is among the more conservative members of the House, yet he was elected by a large majority in 2014 and again in 2016. He received more than 59 percent of the vote in 2014 against two opponents, a Democrat and a Libertarian, and received more than 71 percent of the vote in 2016 against a Libertarian candidate. He is self-employed in online marketing.

Craig challenged Hodges in part because residents of the district need the health care bills Hodges voted against, she has said. Hodges is too concerned with tax cuts, she said.

Craig, 38, was a Walmart store manager in Springdale. She is pursuing a master’s degree in sociology at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville.

In other races in the region, partial results show:

DISTRICT 69

Eddie King (D) . . . . . . . . . .237 * Aaron Pilkington (R) . . .919

DISTRICT 77

Luke Pruitt (D) . . . . . . . 2,983 Stephen Edwards (L) . . . .274 * Justin Boyd (R) . . . . . .4,720

DISTRICT 80

Lou Reed Sharp (D). . . . 1,120 Casey Copeland (L) . . . 391 * Charlene Fite (R) . . . . . . 2,241

DISTRICT 81

Donald McKinney (D) 1,207 * Bruce Coleman (R) . . 2,610

DISTRICT 97

Gary Morris (D) . . . . . . 2,548 Harlan Breaux (R) . . . . 2,904