Republicans claimed all four state House of Representatives races in Benton and Washington counties Tuesday.
The four legislative races were watched closely because of how they could affect the balance of power in the Legislature. Republicans gained a majority in the state House for the first time since the 1870s in the 2012 elections. There are currently 51 Republicans and 48 Democrats, as well as a Green Party member who caucuses with Democrats.
District 93
Republican state Rep. Jim Dotson defeated challenger Leah Williams in District 93, which encompasses most of Bentonville.
Unofficial results show Dotson had 6,064 votes (71 percent) to Williams’ 2,535 (29 percent).
Dotson, 36, served on Bentonville City Council for one term before being elected to the District 93 seat in 2012. He will be the Legislature’s majority whip if Republicans gain a majority of seats in the state House.
“My hope is to work extremely closely with the new governor, the incoming speaker (of the House) and the Republican majority in both the House and the Senate,” said Dotson, who spent Tuesday night at a watch party at state Sen. Bart Hester’s home.
Dotson said he expected to do well Tuesday, but the results exceeded his expectations.
Williams, 30, was elected to Bentonville City Council in November 2012, beating Ed Austin, who had served more than 25 years on the council. She resigned from the council in June because she moved out of the ward she had represented.
Williams had been endorsed by former U.S. Rep. John Paul Hammerschmidt of Harrison, a Republican who served 26 years in Congress.
Dotson opposed the state’s “private option” health care plan, which uses federal taxpayer dollars intended for Medicaid expansion and subsidizes private insurance. His opposition in principle hasn’t changed, but he understands the program has passed and about 200,000 Arkansans are part of it.
Dotson beat another Bentonville alderman, Bill Burckart, in the May primary to advance to the general election.
No Democratic candidate who lives in Benton County has won a legislative race since House member Railey Steele won a re-election bid in 1992.
District 94
Republican Rebecca Petty claimed the District 94 seat against Democrat Grimsley Graham.
Unofficial results show Petty got 3,199 votes (57 percent) to Graham’s 2,374 (43 percent). District 94 includes parts of Bentonville and Rogers.
Petty, 43, of Rogers is a longtime advocate for crime victims and parents of murdered children. Her daughter Andi was killed in 1999. Petty has pledged to fight for legislation that protects children.
This was Petty’s first bid for public office. She beat Marge Wolf in the Republican primary by earning about 55 percent of the vote.
Graham, 65, taught English for 30 years at Rogers High School and has lived in Rogers for 38 years. He’s also a Marine Corps veteran. He called himself an “independent Democrat” who would work with Republicans to make better bills.
Incumbent Rep. Debra Hobbs, R-Rogers, was ineligible for re-election because of the state’s constitutional limit on legislative terms.
District 96
District 96 voters put their faith in a man who will be one of the youngest legislators Arkansas has ever seen.
Grant Hodges, 24, a Republican from Rogers, defeated Democrat Tom McClure of Rogers and Libertarian Michael Kalagias of Garfield.
Unofficial results show Hodges got 4,233 votes (59 percent) to McClure’s 2,535 (36 percent) and Kalagias’ 362 (5 percent).
Hodges worked for the Heritage Foundation’s Center for Health Policy Studies, a conservative think-tank, after graduating from the University of Arkansas. He later worked for America Rising, a conservative research firm.
Hodges said the results were in line with what he had expected.
“I could tell people were really responding to the campaign,” he said.
Tax reform, education and protecting Second Amendment rights will be among his priorities, he said. He doesn’t feel like his youth will prevent him from getting things done.
“I have a lot of good personal relationships with legislators, and I think that will help me hit the ground running down there,” Hodges said.
McClure, 61, is a former dentist who went on to become a teacher. Kalagias is a Navy veteran, substitute teacher and former businessman.
District 96 includes Garfield, east Rogers, east Lowell and areas around Beaver Lake. It traditionally has been one of the safest Republican seats in the state Legislature. Duncan Baird, the Republican who has held the seat since 2009, was term-limited this year.
District 84
State Rep. Charlie Collins, R-Fayetteville, retained his District 84 seat, defeating Democrat Candy Clark.
Unofficial results show Collins got 5,946 (59 percent) to Clark’s 4,079 (41percent).District 84 consists mostly of east Fayetteville, but also encompasses a small part of south and east Springdale.
Collins, 51, is chairman of the House Revenue and Taxation Committee. He is seeking his second term in the House. He helped broker the agreement between Democrats and Republicans that passed the “private option” health care plan in exchange for $141 million a year in tax cuts.
Clark, 58, has lived in Fayetteville since 1966. She is co-owner and founder of C&C Commercial & Industrial Cleaning Service and co-owner of All Around Self Storage. She’s also served on the Washington County Quorum Court since 2009.