Lawmaker Bell splits from GOP to take own path
He opposed moving primary
Nate Bell, the chairman of the House’s State Agencies and Governmental Affairs committee, has left the Republican party and now considers himself an “independent,” he announced this week.
The move, which came a week after Bell fiercely opposed a Republican- backed move to shift the state’s presidential primary to March from May, disappointed some Republican colleagues who said the Mena legislator had made great contributions to the party.
It also signaled potential tensions within a party relatively new to governing, according to one political expert.
Officials at the Polk County clerk’s office confirmed that Bell changed his voter registration Monday, switching from Republican to “optional.” The clerk’s office computer system did not have an “independent” designation.
Bell, who is in the middle of his third term, declined to elaborate on how long he’d been considering leaving the party, which went from having 28 seats in the 100- member House before the 2010 election to having 66 seats in the most recent session.
Republicans also control the Senate and all seven of the state’s constitutional offices.
Bell also declined to explain what factors drove him away from the party. Reached through Twitter, Bell stated: “I believe I can represent my district and my values as an independent.”
Bell also reiterated that he has no plans to seek re- election.
A colleague and friend, Rep. Bob Ballinger, R- Hindsville, said he wasn’t surprised and that he had tried to persuade Bell not to leave the party.
“I think it’s a mistake,” Ballinger said. “There are two parties that are basically dominating the conversation, that have a legitimate chance of going to make a difference. One is conservative and one is liberal. He’s conservative, and it’d make sense for him to participate in the conservative party.”
House Speaker Jeremy Gillam, R- Judsonia, said Bell will retain his role as chairman of one of the more significant legislative committees.
“As a friend and as a member of the same incoming class when we came to the House, I hate to see him go, but he felt it was best for his district and we’ll honor that,” Gillam said. “He’s done a remarkable amount [ for Republicans], and his absence will be felt.”
Hal Bass, a political science professor at Ouachita Baptist University, said it was unusual for Bell to change his party “midstream.”
Bass emphasized that in and of itself, the departure of a legislator who didn’t plan to seek re- election is likely just “small potatoes” but that Bell’s decision could signal something else.
“This might be an indicator that for the Republican majority, managing a majority coalition is more problematic than a minority one,” Bass said. “You’ve got to keep a wider, more diverse group of people happy when you’re the governing party, and that presents some challenges this generation of Republicans is not used to… This might be an early warning system.”
Gillam said he didn’t see it as an indictment on the party or as a reflection of its newfound position as the governing party.
“On the whole our party has gone through, in the last five years, through a pretty big change going from a small minority to a fairly large majority so there’s going to be a lot of change that happens with that,” Gillam said. “This is one of those ebbs and flows that occurs when you’re going through those changes.”
Gillam said he doubted there would be any other House Republicans who follow Bell’s example.
State party Chairman Doyle Webb suggested Bell’s departure is an aberration.
“I don’t think we can ever read into the actions of one person to say what the future of the party is,” Webb said. “I think he’s been effective and I anticipate he’ll continue to be effective the rest of his term.”
During last week’s special session, Bell was an outspoken opponent of the plan to move up the state’s primaries to March 1 and joined Democrats in voting against the measure.
Bell felt that the change would increase the influence of money in elections and extend the election season to the detriment of voters.
Several Southern states are looking at moving their primaries to the same day, creating what’s been called the “SEC primary,” a reference to the university sporting conference that stretches from South Carolina to Texas.
Supporters said the change would give Arkansas and the South more influence in the presidential primaries.
Ballinger said Bell had had a growing frustration with the influence the party had in the House caucus and that it wasn’t just the primary- shift proposal that pushed him toward the decision.
“You could call that the straw that broke the camel’s back,” Ballinger said. “I definitely could never have [ predicted Bell’s departure]. … He’s a guy who’s done more for the Republican Party of Arkansas than anyone I can think of.”