Little Rock mayor’s race will highlight rifts with state
LITTLE ROCK, Ark.—Arkansas’ ballot next year will include seven constitutional offices and four U.S. House races, all of which could be dominated by uncertainty about the future of the federal health law, and a state Supreme Court campaign that could again be dominated by outside groups’ spending. Those races could be overshadowed, however, by a fight over who will be the top elected official in Arkansas’ capital city.
A Democratic lawmaker’s announcement that he is considering a challenge to Little Rock’s incumbent mayor, and the possibility of others launching bids, indicates that an intraparty fight for controlling City Hall could rival what’s expected in statewide and federal races next year. It could also highlight the growing rift between the state’s most populous city and Republican officeholders on a wide variety of issues.
As a rising star in the state Legislature, Democratic Rep. Warwick Sabin had been positioned to be one of the party’s top candidates for statewide or federal office. But the 40-yearold lawmaker instead is focusing on the non-partisan race for mayor.
“I’ve been thinking about a mayor candidacy for at least two years because I also think the city is a place where you can get a lot done,” Sabin said last week.
Sabin’s likely candidacy opens up what’s sure to be an expensive and heated fight with one of the state’s most prominent Democratic figures. Mayor Mark Stodola was first elected to the post in 2006 and said he plans to seek a fourth term next year,.
Sabin’s announcement came a little more than a week after 28 people were injured in a shooting at a Little Rock nightclub.
It also comes as Little Rock and other cities take a more vocal role in pushing back against efforts by a state Legislature they’ve cast as stripping away local control on some issues.
The mayor’s race could be a chance for Sabin, Stodola and other candidates to tout themselves as the best positioned to fight an increasingly Republican state Legislature and governor.