House races in Northwest Arkansas included seats up for grabs in districts reconfigured and renamed because of redistricting after the 2010 U.S. Census.
In the new House District 81, state Rep. Justin Harris, a Republican from West Fork and owner of Growing God’s Kingdom preschool, is on his way to victory over Democratic challenger Wolf Grulkey of Alma.
With 22 of 30 precincts reporting, the unofficial results were:Harris . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5,327 Grulkey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2,411
Harris, 37, is the representative in House District 87.
“They called the race for me at 71 percent in Crawford County and with early and electronic voting in Washington County I had 60.8 percent of the vote,” Harris said as he waited on final numbers.
“I think I carried the message of District 81,” he said. “Our district was pretty clear what they wanted. They wanted a conservative voice.”
Harris said he sees his victory as a win in the separation of church and state issue thatdrew complaints about his preschool.
“We’ve had a rough two years, with attack after attack,” he said. “And, I think this is a good indication the district was behind me.”
The school was at the center of a debate over state-supported preschools offering religious instruction. Harris had allowed prayer and Bible lessons at Growing God’s Kingdom during the school day.
Complaints led attorneys for the Arkansas Education and Human Resources departments to hammer out a new rule saying that Bible lessonscan be taught at the preschools as long as they occur after the seven-hour school day.
Grulkey, 63, a Vietnam-era Navy veteran, is a longtime cartoonist and owner of a skydiving business.
DISTRICT 77
In the race for House District 77, state Rep. Stephanie Malone defeated former Sebastian County Clerk Doris Tate.
With 19 of 19 precincts reporting, the unofficial results were: Malone. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5,755 Tate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4,305
Malone, 34, a Republican,said she was honored to be elected to a third term in the Legislature. She represented District 64 before redistricting changed and renamed the district.
Malone, the highest-ranking Republican woman in the House, said she plans to maintain her voting record and be a voice for her constituents. She said she will focus on attracting businesses to the state.
“Fort Smith has taken a hit with job losses so working on economic development and continuing to strengthen recruiting tools to get industrieshere is a big focus,” Malone said. “I want to do whatever it takes to bring more jobs, not just to Fort Smith, but to the state.”
Tate, 66, a Democrat, was county clerk for 20 years. Tate said she decided to run for the Legislature because she missed the challenge of working in government. As a county clerk, she said, she learned to put aside partisan politics and work as a public servant.
DISTRICT 97
The race for House District 97 pitted Eureka Springs architect Robert “Butch” Berry, a Democrat, and Hindsville lawyer Bob Ballinger, a Republican.
With six of 22 precincts reporting, the unofficial results were: Ballinger. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1,872 Berry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,086
In addition to being a lawyer, Ballinger is ministry director for Crossover Ministry in Fayetteville, a Bible-based ministry for addicts.
Berry, 63, a fourth-generation resident of Eureka Springs, said he ran for state representative because he wants to continue Gov. Mike Beebe’s agenda by focusing on creating jobs, strengthening the education system and budgeting appropriately.
Ballinger, 38, who grew up in Tulsa and moved to Northwest Arkansas about a decade ago, said he strongly supports “private property rights, a limited and accountable government, lower taxation, and the protection of our individual liberty and freedom.” DISTRICT 75
In the race for District 75, Steven Breedlove, a Democrat who represented House District 67 from 2008-10, faced Republican political newcomer Charlotte Vining Douglas. Vining Douglas was comfortably in front in late vote totals.
With 27 of 31 precincts reporting, the unofficial results were: Vining Douglas . . . . . . . . . 5,657 Breedlove. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,234
Breedlove, 50, said before the election that he comes from a family of public servants and wants to continue the traditionby helping the people of District 75. He is a Church of Christ minister.
Vining Douglas, 60, a retired teacher, said she ran for office because she wants to shrink the size of state government and reduce taxes.
DISTRICT 80
In House District 80, former Washington County Justice of the Peace Jack Norton of Cane Hill, a Democrat, faced Republican Charlene Fite of Cedarville.
With 18 of 29 precincts reporting, the unofficial results were: Fite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,614 Norton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,341
Before the election, both candidates expressed a desire to attract more economic opportunity to the mostly rural district.
Fite, 62, said people have told her that Northwest Arkansas is doing well economically as a whole but District 80 is not.
Fite is a school psychology specialist.
Norton, 78, said rural communities in District 80 are at a disadvantage when compared with larger towns like Fayetteville when it comes to developing jobs. He said he would like to see a better tax climate that would encourage business and industry to locate in some of the smaller communities in District 80.
Norton was the Morrowfire chief for 20 years and was a member of the Arkansas Farm Bureau for 10 years in the 1980s. He runs A-1 Mini Storage in Lincoln and raises cattle and poultry.
DISTRICT 69
Betty Overbey of Lamar and Dwight Hoyle of Clarksville won a rematch of sorts in the contest for House District 69.
Overbey edged out Hoyle in the 2010 Democratic primary by just 26 votes. The two squared off in Tuesday’s general election, this time with Hoyle as a Republican.
With 24 of 24 precincts reporting, the unofficial results were: Overbey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4,761 Hoyle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4,521
A retired state revenue agent, Overbey, 66, succeeded her husband, George Overbey, who served District 69 from 2005-11.
Hoyle, 52, owns Hoyle’s Walkin’ Western Store, and is an electrical and heating contractor.
DISTRICT 74
State Rep. Jon Eubanks, a Republican from Paris, defeated Democratic contender Daniel Wall for the rural District 74 position.
With 53 of 53 precincts reporting, the unofficial results were: Eubanks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7,256 Wall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,788
Jobs and the economy wereconsidered the top issues for voters in Logan County and parts of surrounding counties that make up House District 74, both candidates said.
Eubanks, 61, a poultry and cattle farmer, and former Paris School Board member, was elected to his House District 84 in 2010.
He said his two years of experience in the House prepared him for another term.
A cattle farmer, Wall, 30, was named the 2012 Young Cattleman of the Year for the Arkansas Cattlemen’s Association. This was Wall’s first time seeking elected office.
DISTRICT 82
State Rep. Leslee Milam Post, a Democrat, faced Republican Bill Gossage, who held a commanding lead late.
With 51 of 60 precincts reporting, the unofficial results were: Gossage. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5,844 Post . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,247
Gossage, 55, is assistant superintendent for the Ozark School District and had no previous political experience.
Gossage said that if elected he planned to identify obstacles that are detrimental to business success and job creation in the district and in the state
Post, 38, is a homemaker.
DISTRICT 99
The contest for House District 99 featured House District 86 Republican Kelley Linck and Anton Such, an independent, for the newly created seat. Both are from Yellville, with Linck winning by a large margin Tuesday.
With 44 of 44 precincts reporting, the unofficial results were: Linck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8,804 Such . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,511
Linck, 48, is executive director of the Ozark Mountain Region Tourism Association. Such, 43, is owner of A&C Excavating and has no previous political experience.
During his first term, Linck supported a law that provides for a public website that gives a detailed account of state spending. He also approved of cuts in taxes, including a reduction in the tax on groceries, an increase in the tax exemption for used cars and an exemption for energy production.
Northwest Arkansas, Pages 11 on 11/07/2012