Sanders adviser leads anti-amendment push

A senior adviser to Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders is leading a new group in efforts to defeat proposed constitutional amendments on abortion, medical marijuana and education.

The group, Stronger Arkansas, filed its paperwork with the Arkansas Ethics Commission on Friday establishing itself as a ballot question committee. Chris Caldwell, a political consultant who also served as Sanders’ campaign manager for her 2022 gubernatorial bid, is the group’s chair.

Cathy Lanier, who served as finance director for Sanders’ campaign, is listed as treasurer for Stronger Arkansas. Lanier is a “successful political fundraiser” and has worked for U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton, U.S. Rep. French Hill, Attorney General Tim Griffin and Lt. Gov. Leslie Rutledge, according to an August 2022 news release from the Sanders campaign.

Vicki Deere is listed as the group’s vice chair. Deere is the mother of Sanders’ deputy chief of staff, Judd Deere.

The group’s goal is “for the disqualification and/ or defeat” of the proposed amendments on abortion, medical marijuana and education. All three amendment campaigns have received approval to start their petition efforts. To make the ballot, a constitutional amendment needs 90,704 signatures.

The proposed abortion amendment, submitted by Arkansans for Limited Government, would end the state’s ban on most abortions, legalizing the procedure up to 18 weeks after fertilization or in cases of rape, incest, fatal fetal anomaly or to protect the mother’s life or protect the mother from physical harm. Currently, abortions in Arkansas are banned except in cases to save the life of the mother during a medical emergency.

The proposed education amendment, led by the For AR Kids committee, would require private schools that accept state funds to follow “the identical academic standards and the identical standards for accreditation” as public schools. The proposal also would create new minimum standards for education that public schools will be required to meet, and guaranteed universal pre-kindergarten.

The medical marijuana amendment, led by Arkansans for Patient Access, is aimed at expanding access to the drug for patients by allowing nurse practitioners, physicians’ assistants and pharmacists — in addition to doctors — to sign off on patient cards. The amendment also would legalize recreational cannabis in Arkansas if the federal government ended its prohibition against the drug.