HOT SPRINGS — Arkansas Republicans retained their party’s first vice chairman Saturday after a challenge from a sitting lawmaker.
Duane Neal of Bentonville secured the position over former House Republican Leader John Burris of Harrison during the Republican Party of Arkansas’ winter state meeting, held Saturday at the Arlington Hotel.
Burris is thought to have been an architect of a move to replace the expected Republican nominee for House speaker-elect, Terry Rice, with another candidate, Davy Carter, after the November election.
Neal urged members to keep the party on its current course. He said he has been involved in the party for about 30 years.
“We’ve got to have stability. We’ve got to have consistency, day-to-day and year-to-year,” Neal said.
Rep. Jonathan Barnett, RSiloam Springs, nominated Neal and stressed Neal’s experience with the party.
“Duane Neal has been an intricate part of the success of the Republican Party of Arkansas that we are enjoying now,” Barnett said. “Duane is stable. He has always been there in our party. Duane is a team player ... and he’s trusted in many, many important places. He’s predictable; he’s a steady head; he’s reliable.”
Neal is a retired former president of a small manufacturing company. He served on the Benton County Quorum Court from 1983to 1990.
Burris asked members to consider his legislative record, his time as House Republican Leader and whathe has done.
“Base your decision on what you think of me based on that,” Burris said. “I’m not a blank slate.”
Burris said he sought the position because he was disappointed by the number of Republicans who lost their election bids.
“Folks, a 51 majority isn’t a lot,” he said referring to the Republicans’ slim majority in the House. “We still came up a little bit short.”
Burris acknowledged that the party didn’t want a public fight over leadership.
“I know this is not where you wanted to be three weeks after the election,” Burris told members. He said the partywill unite around the winner.
Party Chairman Doyle Webb of Benton did not announce the vote tally.
Along with Neal, the members voted to retain Webb as chairman, as well as elect Robin Lundstrum of Springdale as second vice chairman, John Parke of Little Rock as state treasurer and Jennifer Parks of El Dorado as state secretary.
Webb has seen a rise in the influence of the state party in recent years. When he was first elected party chairman in 2008, Republicans held 36 of the 135 seats in the state legislature.
Now, Republicans hold 72 seats (21 in the Senate and 51 in the House) and have a majority in both the House and Senate.
Former U.S. Rep. Ed Bethune nominated Webb for a third term as chairman, citing the party’s legislative increases and his fundraising for the party.
“We would be foolish not to have this man at the helm for as long as he would like to be there,” Bethune said.
No one else was nominated. Members gave Webb a standing ovation when he was elected.
“We need Doyle Webb because we have a story to tell. The people of Arkansas are listening like they have never listened before,” Bethune said.
Democratic Party spokesman Candace Martin declined to comment Saturday.
Burris and a handful of other young House members are thought to have helpedorchestrate the unexpected selection of Davy Carter, RCabot, over Terry Rice, RWaldron, for the speaker’s position, putting Carter in line to lead the House in 2013 and 2014.
The selection of Carter over Rice exposed differences among some Republicans that they were reluctant to talk about publicly.
Rice had sought the seat in the spring when Democrats controlled the House. He was expected to be elected House speaker-designee when Republicans won control of the chamber and ousted Rep. Darrin Williams, D-Little Rock.
The vote, taken in secret, was 52-45 for Carter over Rice. Rice said that a small group of Republicans and most Democrats joined to elect Carter as House speaker-designee.
Northwest Arkansas, Pages 17 on 12/02/2012