Ozark’s Capp says no to re-election to House, opts to seek judgeship

State Rep. Sarah Capp, R-Ozark, said Tuesday she will not seek re-election next year and will instead run for a district court judgeship in Johnson and Franklin counties.

In an email announcing her decision, Capp said serving in the Arkansas Legislature in Little Rock, along with running a legal practice in Ozark and serving as a public defender, had “stretched thin” time with her family.

She said she made the decision over the weekend to run for a new state district court judgeship that was created by a 2015 law.

“This is the right position for me and the right time in my life to seek it,” Capp said in her email.

The two-term state representative said she plans to serve the remainder of her two-year term in the House while running for the court seat.

While in the Legislature, Capp launched a project in which female lawmakers from both parties recorded videos highlighting their own personal narratives and discussing the role of women in leadership. The videos were posted with the hashtag, “ARGIRLSLEAD.”

In the 2018 election following the start of Capp’s project, the 32 women elected to the Legislature tied an all-time high. When Democrat Denise Ennett, who won a special House election in Pulaski County earlier this month, takes office, the number of women in the Legislature is set to break the record.

Capp said her proudest accomplishment in the House was representing her constituents in District 82, located in the Arkansas River Valley.

The state district court judgeship sought by Capp was created in 2015 — before Capp was in the Legislature — when lawmakers approved legislation that reorganized local district courts into a single state district, the 7th Judicial District, covering Johnson and Franklin counties. The law creating the district, Act 1081, established that its first district judge would be elected in the 2020 nonpartisan judicial election.

The judgeship also comes with the potential for a big pay increase. Under current salaries set by the Independent Citizens Commission, lawmakers earn $41,393 a year — plus per diem and mileage — while state district court judges are paid a salary of $147,084.

Capp said she was aware of at least three other people who have expressed interest in running for the district court position.

Spokesmen for both the Democratic and Republican parties said they expected to field candidates for the seat Capp is leaving open.

The district has not had a competitive election since 2012.