Super PAC backs Penzo in primary

WASHINGTON — With less than three months before Arkansas’ primary election, a new super PAC has inserted itself into the race for the 3rd Congressional District in hopes of unseating incumbent U.S. Rep. Steve Womack, R-Ark.

Conservatives for Action PAC filed documents with the Federal Election Commission Nov. 14 with a mission of supporting state

Sen. Clint Penzo’s bid in the district’s Republican primary. The super PAC is already making itself known to voters; the organization paid to install a billboard in Bentonville declaring, “Womack won’t listen.”

In a statement dated Tuesday, the super PAC said, “Steve Womack won’t listen to his constituents, instead listening to government bureaucrats in the DC swamp, special interests, and big corporate donors,” and described Womack as a “RINO” — or Republican in Name Only.

“It is time for a change by sending Steve Womack home and electing Clint Penzo to Congress for a true conservative champion who listens to the people,” the super PAC added.

Neither the Penzo campaign nor the Womack campaign returned a request for comment. Penzo, of Springdale, served in the Arkansas House of Representatives from 2017 to 2023. He began his current Senate tenure in January; he will not face reelection until the 2026 election cycle.

Womack, who served as mayor of Rogers for 12 years, has represented Northwest Arkansas since January 2011. He holds the longest consecutive voting record in the House, having surpassed 8,000 successive votes during last week’s legislative work.

Caitlin Draper of Fayetteville is the only Democrat to file candidacy paperwork for next year’s general election. Draper is a licensed clinical social worker whose experience includes work on autism spectrum disorder and eating disorders.

Arkansas’ primary election is scheduled for March 5, 2024. The general election will take place Nov. 5, 2024.

Womack, who served as mayor of Rogers for 12 years, has represented Northwest Arkansas since January 2011. He holds the longest consecutive voting record in the House.