Jeffress optimistic of chances in runoff election

Having led the three- man May 22 Democratic preferential primary, 4th Congressional District candidate Gene Jeffress, of Louann, is optimistic he will defeat Hot Springs attorney Q. Byrum Hurst in Tuesday’s runoff.

The winner will go on to face Republican nominee Tom Cotton in the Nov. 6 general election.

“We’re excited. We’re ready for Tuesday. Lord have mercy, let’s get this thing done,” Jeffress

said in a campaign stop here Thursday. “We came in first in the primary and we’re excited. I think we’ll be all right.”

Jeffress led Hurst and fellow Democrat D. C. Morrison of Little Rock in the primary, receiving 43 percent of the votes cast in the race, to Hurst’s 35 percent and Morrison’s 21 percent districtwide.

Jeffress predicted his primary lead will carry into Tuesday’s runoff. He said early voting has been “extremely heavy” in the south and southeast Arkansas counties he carried on May 22.

“I hope that we do well,” Jeffress said.

Jeffress, a retired public school music teacher, has literally worn the tires off the small red compact car that he and an aide have used to log nearly 50,000 miles since February campaigning throughout the expanded 4th District while seeking to succeed U. S. Rep. Mike Ross in Congress.

“We’re hitting it, I guarantee you. We were in northwest Arkansas yesterday. We’ve done been to Pine Bluff today and Malvern and here in Hot Springs and we have to visit some folks down in south Ar- kansas in a few minutes,” Jeffress said. “We’re looking for every vote we can get.”

It didn’t bother Jeffress that he was campaigning in Hurst’s political home base where Hurst garnered 63 percent of the Garland County vote in the primary.

“We expect to get some of the Democrats here as well,” Jeffress said.

Jeffress and Ross are old friends from their days in the Legislature.

“When I was in the House he was a senator. The very first bill I ever ran, I ran it on the House and he ran it on the Senate side,” Jeffress said. “He stayed with it until we got it passed and done.”

Jeffress said that while Ross has not taken sides in the race with Hurst, “every now and then he will call and see how things are going.”

“We’ve talked two or three times. He’s been a good friend,” Jeffress said.

Jeffress said his potential 4th District constituents are “tired of Congress with their do- nothing attitude, they won’t look at each other, they won’t talk to each other.” He said the residents “want somebody that will be a voice for them” in Washington.

“Let’s get something done. Let’s quit this bickering back and forth. We want a congressman that will represent us and get jobs back in this area, help secure Social Security,” Jeffress said. “Those things are always important to all 4th District voters.”

Jeffress declined to comment on Hurst’s on- going state income tax woes that include multiple tax liens against Hurst’s present and former law firms in Hot Springs.

“We don’t focus on those things. We’re running for the job,” Jeffress said.

Jeffress said he is excited about possibly facing Cotton in the general election.

“We’ve got a plan just like we did in this one,” Jeffress said, referring to the primary. “I’m not scared. I respect him. I respect his money but we’ll have plenty of support during the general election. We think we can really win in November.”

Jeffress said the 4th District seat must remain in the Democratic column.

“These are working people in the 4th District. They’re regular old average people, good Christian- valued people. We’ve got a great group that depend for their livelihood on Social Security put together by Democrats years and years ago,” Jeffress said.

“Just think what would have happened a few years ago if the Republicans had got this ( Social Security) in the stock market, somebody would be in bad shape right now. We need to keep this seat in the Democratic fold.”