Washington County politics just got considerably more interesting.
Delegates to the Republican County Convention on Thursday named Joseph K. Wood of Fayetteville as the party's new nominee for county judge.
Wood, a former state treasurer for the Republican Party of Arkansas, has served as a deputy to Secretary of State Mark Martin since Martin assumed the office in 2011.
Wood emerged last week as the nominee for judge from a field of three candidates and will take on Democrat Mark Kinion in November, depending on how a court case turns out.
Kinion, also of Fayetteville, is a sitting alderman on the Fayetteville City Council and, for a short time, was the only candidate in the race. Here's why:
State Rep. Micah Neal, formerly of Springdale but now a resident in Benton County, dropped out of the race for county judge in July after having won the party's nomination in May. Neal, a popular restaurant owner, was a Washington County Quorum Court member before running for the Legislature.
The race between Neal and Kinion was expected to be close in their effort to succeed embattled County Judge Marilyn Edwards, a Democrat who didn't seek re-election but ran for Quorum Court instead. She lost that race to the incumbent, Democrat Eva Madison.
Whoever succeeds Edwards will have a challenging job to quiet tensions and move the county forward.
Republicans had put their faith in Neal, whose decision to abandon the nomination left them scrambling.
Initially, Neal said he was leaving the race because of family and business reasons but subsequently leased a house in Benton County. The Washington County judge must live in Washington County, so moving there clearly would make Neal ineligible.
Neal's residency continues to be a controversy because Washington County Democrats contend his initial reasons for leaving were insufficient to allow a replacement. Republicans beg to differ. They had to meet a tight deadline, naming a substitute nominee by Aug. 10. Now, they've done that with the nomination of Wood.
Meanwhile, Democrats are maintaining their stance. The Democratic Party of Arkansas and Tyler Clark, chairman of the Washington County Democratic Party, filed suit last week to stop the certification of another Republican candidate.
The judge originally assigned to the case has recused. John Linebarger, a retired Washington County chancery judge, has been assigned the case. An initial hearing is expected this week.
The court will decide, but Republicans are moving on, preparing for the general election.
Wood was one of three candidates to file for the county judge's election at the Republican County Convention. The others were Bill Pritchard and Jon Woods, both of whom have served in the state Senate and the House of Representatives.
Pritchard was defeated by Woods in 2012. Woods still holds the seat, representing much of Springdale and eastern Washington County, including Goshen and Elkins. He decided not to seek re-election this year.
This recent Washington County judge election was a rematch of sorts. Woods won when he made a runoff with Wood, the eventual nominee. Pritchard ran third on the first ballot at the convention.
The second ballot proved a winner for Joseph Wood, the fresher face among the three.
Pritchard supporters may have helped Wood triumph, but reporting from the event also indicated that some younger delegates saw Wood as a change candidate, someone outside the political establishment.
Clearly, working for the secretary of state and being a former party treasurer doesn't put him entirely outside of the political establishment. Nevertheless, Wood does bring some outsider experience to the race. He is a former Walmart executive who also founded his own career consulting firm.
Kinion's professional profile is also strong. He's a Fayetteville businessman, currently with Bank of Arkansas. He also has strong ties not just to the city he serves as alderman but also out in the county. A native of Rhea's Mill, he was educated in Prairie Grove public schools and the University of Arkansas. His Website notes that his family has lived and worked in Washington County for six generations.
By contrast, Wood and his family have been residents of Fayetteville since 1997.
Kinion's deeper roots would typically pay off in a local election, but there's more.
Wood is African-American, which might matter in this election year when minorities are expected to turn out heavily for Democrat Hillary Clinton.
So, he presents himself both as a "change" candidate like Donald Trump at the top of the Republican ticket and as a minority candidate when minorities will be voting.
That should make for an interesting challenge to Kinion, who at least for a short time was a sure winner.
Assuming Wood stays on the ballot, the outcome is not at all certain now.
But, like that earlier match of Kinion and Neal, this contest between Kinion and Wood is one to watch.
Commentary on 08/07/2016