A Hot Springs writer and teacher announced Monday that she’ll run as a Democrat for the 4th District congressional seat currently held by U.S. Rep. Tom Cotton, R-Dardanelle.
Janis Percefull, a history teacher at National Park Community College, said shemailed in paperwork to the Federal Election Commission last week to run for U.S. Congress. The 61-year-old said she’d become motivated to seek office by current events discussions in her Western civilization, Arkansas history and geography classes - discussions, she said, that have often resulted in the same “logjam” seen in Washington.
“Oh lord, we have heated discussions,” she said, recalling recent debates about the Mayflower oil spill and other environmental issues. “My students don’t think that their voices count. They don’t think the people in Congress represent them.”
Percefull said Monday she thought Cotton’s beliefs didn’t jibe with the needs ofhis constituents, who reside largely in southwest Arkansas in cities such as Hope, Hot Springs and Texarkana. Pine Bluff and a section of Northwest Arkansas are also in the 4th District. Her last foray into politics came about 20 years ago when she lost a race for Garland County Quorum Court. The University of Arkansas at Little Rock master’sdegree graduate called her previous run a learning experience Monday, while noting that times have changed. She said she’d never “dreamed in my wildest dreams” of getting back into politics, but that congressional gridlock and Cotton’s political stances had left her with no other choice.
Percefull, who writeshistory and historical fiction for a number of Arkansas publications, declined, however, to delve into her own platform during Monday’s phone interview.
“I guess the thing that just really, I’m concerned about, is his wanting to take more domestic spending and putting it toward the military,” she said of the first-term congressman.
State Democratic Party spokesman Candance Martin agreed with Percefull’s claims Monday, though she declined to comment on the teacher’s decision to run. The state democratic party does not endorse candidates for the primary elections, she said.
Martin pointed to Cotton’s opposition of the House farm bill passed in June as evidence of a disconnect between him and his constituents.
“He’s cast a lot of votes that are not in the best interests of Arkansans, most notably his vote against farmers,” Martin said.
Cotton’s political director Rep. John Burris, R-Harrison, declined Monday to comment on Percefull’s candidacy. Burris said Cotton remained focused on representing the 4th District and “fighting the president’s liberal agenda.”
Many believe Cotton, who assumed office in January, will mount a senate campaign against U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor in next year’s elections, rather than attempt to reclaim his seat. To date, Cotton has made no formal announcement on the matter.
“He has been encouraged to [run for Senate],” Arkansas Republican Party spokesman David Ray said Monday. “He has not made a decision yet as to what he’s going to do in 2014. If he runs for re-election, we’re going to hold that seat. If he runs for U.S. Senate, we’re still going to hold that seat.”
But Percefull, who will formally announce her candidacy at an event next month inHot Springs, expressed confidence she could attract the necessary support Monday.
“I want to win by, and I think I will win by, a very large majority,” she said. “If people get out and vote, I will win and I will win big.”
Northwest Arkansas, Pages 7 on 07/23/2013