Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Leding running for Senate
FAYETTEVILLE — Rep. Greg Leding, D-Fayetteville, will run for the state Senate District 4 seat in next year’s election.
The seat will be open after Sen. Uvalde Lindsey, D-Fayetteville, announced Friday he will not seek another term.
Leding’s decision will mean a vacancy in House District 86, one of 24 Democratic seats remaining in the 100-seat state House. Leding said Tuesday he expects opposition in next year’s Democratic primary for the Senate seat and also would not be surprised to see a primary contest for his current seat.
Leding, 39, is known statewide as an outspoken opponent of legislation allowing concealed carry permit holders to carry their handguns onto state college and university campuses. Rep. Charlie Collins, R-Fayetteville, introduced the legislation.
Leding said other issues are his priorities.
“I’ve spent four terms in the House fighting wage theft, for affordable housing, tenant rights and paid family leave,” Leding said Tuesday. “Now I want to fight for those issues in the Senate.”
Leding stepped down from his position as House minority leader in 2015 saying he wanted to focus on those issues.
Tyler Clark, chairman of the Washington County Democrats, called House District 86 “probably the most liberal district in the state. I anticipate we will maintain that seat without any problem.”
The District 4 Senate seat is more competitive, but still largely Democratic, he said.
James Estes, Washington County’s Republican chairman, felt differently.
“What are we here for, if not to fight the battles?” Estes said, adding he fully expects the GOP to run a candidate in House 86 and has no doubt there will also be a GOP candidate for Senate 4. “We might have a primary” in the Senate district, he said.
Arkansas has nine Democratic senators in the 35-member state Senate and 24 House members in the 100-member House. Rep. David Whitaker, D-Fayetteville, is the minority leader.
Leding has worked with Republicans successfully on controversial issues. For example, he and Rep. Rebecca Petty, R-Rogers, worked together to pass a law that now makes those sentenced to life without parole before they turned 18 years old eligible for parole. That passed in the 2017 session after Petty was the strongest opponent to a similar bill by Leding in 2015.