Voters in Washington and Benton counties will decide as many primary races this year for the Legislature as they did in 2010, 2008 and 2006 combined, according to state records.
The two counties have seven contested seats for the Legislature in the May 20 primaries, the most since 2002. This compares to five legislative races in 2012, after the region gained a Senate seat and part or all of four House seats after the 2010 Census. District boundaries were redrawn after the census and the new seats reflected the region's population gains.
At A Glance (w/logo)
Northwest Arkansas Primaries
Contested Legislative Primaries (all Republicans) in Benton or Washington Counties are:
• House 87: Robin Lundstrum of Springdale; Lucas Roebuck of Siloam Springs
• House 88: Rep. Randy Alexander of Springdale (incumbent); Lance Eads of Springdale
• House 90: Paul Caldwell of Lowell; Jana Della Rosa of Rogers; Mike Whitmore of Rogers
• House 93: Rep. Jim Dotson of Bentonville (incumbent); Bill Burckart of Bentonville
• House 94: Rebecca Petty of Rogers; Marge Wolf of Rogers
• House 95; Rep. Sue Scott of Rogers (incumbent); Dane Zimmerman of Bella Vista
• House 96: Grant Hodges of Rogers; Damon Wallace of Garfield
Source: Staff Report
The 2002 races also were the first after a U.S. Census. There were eight races that year.
All of this year's contests are in the Republican primary and all are for state House seats.
"Well, it's pretty obvious that if you could win the Republican primary in Jonathan Barnett's district, for instance, you were as good as elected," said Lance Johnson, chairman of the Republican Party of Washington County. "That's why I think we have so many contested primaries, because we have safe seats."
In four of the seven contested primaries this year, the winner will face no major party opposition in the November general election. The remaining three are in Benton County, which has not elected a Democrat to serve in either chamber of the Legislature since 1992.
Rep. Barnett, R-Siloam Springs, is serving his third and last term under the state constitution's limits on House service. Robin Lundstrum of Elm Springs and Lucas Roebuck of Siloam Springs are contending in the Republican primary for that post, House District 87.
The other three races with no major party opposition are:
• District 88 in Springdale, where Rep. Randy Alexander is seeking a second term. His opponent is Lance Eads, a Springdale Chamber of Commerce official.
• District 90 in Rogers and Lowell, an open seat. Incumbent Rep. Les Carnine, R-Lowell, is term-limited. Jana Della Rosa and Mike Whitmore, both of Rogers, and Paul Caldwell of Lowell are contending for that seat.
• District 95, where Rep. Sue Scott, R-Rogers, faces a challenge from Dane Zimmerman of Bella Vista. Scott seeks a second term.
The Republican Party gained the Arkansas House majority this year by the barest of margins, 51 out of 100 seats.
"I don't think that's why people are running, though, to be in the majority," Johnson said. "I think people who want to do this run because they want to serve. Whether they're in the majority or not really doesn't make much difference to them."
Both the statewide Republican majority in the House and the number of people running in Republican primary springs from the same source, said John Carr, chairman of the Republican Party in Benton County.
"The increased number of Republican candidates seeking office in the region is part of a larger movement taking place in Arkansas," he said. "This year, a record-breaking 132 very qualified Republican candidates filed for office across the state. Hard-working Arkansans now clearly recognize the Republican Party reflects the values they have always embraced."
Tyler Clark, chairman of the Washington County Democrats, had a different explanation for the number of Republican contests.
"The Republicans have more primaries because they are really two parties: the Republicans and the far-right Tea Party," Clark said. "I think you can see that with moderates running against Jim Dotson and Randy Alexander."
Rep. Jim Dotson, R-Bentonville, is running for a second term in District 93 against Bentonville businessman Bill Burckart, who served with Dotson before Dotson left the Bentonville City Council in the last election. The winner will face Democrat Leah Williams of Bentonville.
Area Democrats have no primary races for the state Legislature this year, but three incumbents from here are running unopposed. All are from Fayetteville: Sen. Uvalde Lindsey, Rep. Greg Leding and Rep. David Whitaker. Leding is House minority leader, the House's highest-ranking Democratic member.
Arkansas has an open primary system where voters decide in each election which primary they will vote in. Nothing bars someone who voted in the Democratic primary in 2012 from voting in the Republican primary in 2014, for example. Voters may not switch their party choice in the event of a runoff election, but there are few other restrictions.
The freedom to vote in a Republican primary will be a factor in local races, Clark predicted. In Springdale, for example, where the party has no legislative candidate for Democrats to vote for, he expects the city's Democrats to vote for the less conservative candidate.
"I think there are some voters in western Springdale who have never voted in a Republican primary before who are going to this time," he said.
NW News on 03/16/2014