Two former candidates in the Republican primary for Arkansas’ 3rd Congressional District came out in support of state Sen. Cecile Bledsoe on Thursday, including one candidate who was considering calling for a recount.
Bledsoe came in second in Tuesday’s election, edging out Fort Smith lawyer Gunner DeLay by 158 votes, according to unofficial returns, and securing a spot in the June 8 runoff election against Rogers Mayor Steve Womack, who got 31 percent of the vote.
DeLay had said Wednesday he would wait a few days until all provisional and military ballots were counted and, if the tally became closer than 158, he might request a recount. County election commissions are required to certify their results by May 28 before the secretary of state’s office declares the results official.
But after examining the situation closer, DeLay held a news conference Thursday in Fort Smith toannounce he conceded the election and would campaign for Bledsoe.
“There was less than onequarter of a percent difference between me and Mrs. Bledsoe at the ballot box, but there’s even less difference between our political philosophies,” DeLay said. “Mrs. Bledsoe has earned the right to a position in the runoff. I’m going to get behind her campaign 100 percent.”
“This is just the beginning of a wonderful marriage, so to speak, of true conservatives in this area,” said Bledsoe.
DeLay won 39 percent of the vote in Sebastian County - Arkansas’ fourth most populous county with 123,597 residents and 57,250 registered voters - but without him in the runoff, the county, and possibly much of the Arkansas River Valley, is up for grabs.
Womack finished second in Sebastian County, with 17 percent of the vote. Bledsoe finished fifth in Sebastian County with 9 percent of the vote. Twenty-nine percent of registered voters in the county voted on Tuesday.
DeLay said he will speak on Bledsoe’s behalf whenever he gets the opportunity.
“I will play whatever role they want me to,” he said. “I will go around the River Valley speaking to whatever group they want me to. ... That’s where I come in, convincing people in this area that they have a dog in this hunt and it’s Mrs. Bledsoe.”
DeLay criticized Womack, saying the mayor’s comments and behavior have been more in line with Democrats than Republicans.
When asked if he thought Womack was a “RINO,” which stands for “Republican In Name Only,” DeLay said,“Yes.”
Womack fired back.
“It’s no secret that as a sitting legislator, Cecile has had the political establishment backing her,” Womack said in a prepared statement. “But I’m not sure how much stock people put into politicians endorsing one another.
“DeLay’s move comes as no surprise,” Womack stated. “Our history on the campaign trail was clear to everyone. And as the front-runner in this race, I have kind of felt like a pinata with some people wanting to take shots at me. But I was honored to have the endorsement of over 19,000 3rd District voters Tuesday. I would be honored to have itagain in the runoff, along with the support of those who may have supported other candidates no longer in the race.”
Unofficially, Womack received 19,358 votes Tuesday.
Steve Lowry, another candidate in the Republican primary, said he also would support Bledsoe.
“Although both candidates are well qualified, it’s my belief that Cecile would more fully represent the cross section of people within the district,” said Lowry, a former agent with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. “She, as a congressman, would be accessible and represent the constituency fairly, and in particular the elderly.”
Lowry received 4 percent of the vote, finishing last among the eight candidates.
Other candidates in the race said they weren’t ready to make an endorsement yet.
“I think at this point I’m ready to step back and watch for a while,” said Boone County Judge Mike Moore.
Moore carried his home county by 70 percent but only carried 8 percent of the 12 county 3rd Congressional District, finishing seventh.
“We’re going to meet as a campaign committee and decide whether to endorse or not,” said Bernie Skoch, a former Air Force brigadier general who finished fourth behind DeLay. “We see that as a very important responsibility.”
The winner of the runoff election will face Democrat David Whitaker in the Nov. 2 general election. Whitaker, who was unopposed in Tuesday’s primary, is a former Fayetteville assistant city attorney.
Northwest Arkansas, Pages 9 on 05/21/2010