House’s Love plans run for Senate

State Rep. Fred Love announced Monday he intends to run for the seat held by term-limited Sen. Joyce Elliott next year.

Both are Democrats from Little Rock.

Elliott represents Senate District 31. The district runs south from Interstate 630 in Little Rock to the Saline County line, and along Martin Luther King Drive and Roosevelt Road on the east to Crystal Valley, Lawson and Kirby roads on the west, according to election officials.

The state Board of Apportionment is expected to redraw the districts boundaries of the 35 Senate and 100 House of Representatives seats later this year based on information from the 2020 U.S. Census. The board is comprised of the governor, attorney general and secretary of state. All three posts are held by Republicans.

Love, who has served in the state House of Representatives since 2011, said in his news release, “I am running because I know there is more work for us to get done for the people of Arkansas.

“I am running to continue the proud legacy of Senator Joyce Elliott, who I was lucky enough to have as a teacher at Joe T. Robinson,” said Love, who is Pulaski County’s director of community services. “I am running because I care deeply about this community, our children, and our future.”

State Rep. Fred Allen, D-Little Rock, who lost a challenge to Elliott in the 2012 Democratic primary, said in an interview that he is considering running for the Senate seat next year. He has served in the state House of Representatives since 2017 after previously serving in the chamber from 2007-13.

He said he won’t decide on running for the Senate seat until after the Board of Apportionment redraws the district. His decision will be based on the new boundaries and the people to whom he has been talking about running for that seat.

Allen said his decision won’t be based about what others decide about running for the Senate seat. “I’m leaving all the options on the table,” including running for the state House of Representatives, he said.

The filing period for candidates for state and federal offices in Arkansas is Feb. 22-March 1, 2022, with the primary election and nonpartisan judicial election is May 24, according to the secretary of state’s office.

Elliott has served in the state Senate since 2009 and was in the state House of Representatives from 2001-07, where she was chairwoman of the House Education Committee for two years. She lost bids for the 2nd Congressional District seat in 2010 and 2020.

The state Senate is comprised of 27 Republicans, seven Democrats and an independent.