SAU senior announces run for Camden-area House seat

Wade Andrews, a senior agricultural business major at Southern Arkansas University, announced Wednesday that he will run for a seat in the state House of Representatives in 2018.

Andrews, a 21-year-old Republican, said he wants to help business by increasing state incentives and decreasing poverty with public pre-kindergarten through 12th-grade education changes.

He would like the state to focus less on standardized testing and more on individualized attention for students.

"There's a lot of kids who just sit in the back ... not really grasping a concept, not really learning," Andrews said. "I want to -- somehow -- make sure that they are learning."

He noted that the illiteracy rates are between 16 percent and 20 percent and the poverty rate is about 24 percent in the area he hopes to represent.

The Camden native is seeking the District 5 seat now held by Rep. David Fielding, D-Magnolia. The district includes parts of Ouachita, Nevada, Columbia and Lafayette counties.

"There are problems here," Andrews said. "I want to help."

The primary election is May 22. The general election is Nov. 6, 2018.

Metro on 06/16/2017

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