Gov. Asa Hutchinson's political action committee has contributed to two of the three Republican candidates seeking a vacant state Senate seat, but not to the third candidate who supports the governor's opponent, said Hutchinson's chief political strategist, Jon Gilmore.
For the Senate District 16 special primary election on Feb. 13, the ASA PAC contributed $2,700 to Breanne Davis of Russellville and $1,000 to Luke Heffley of Russellville, and no money to Robert Bailey of Russellville, Gilmore said. Senate District 16 includes Newton and Pope counties and parts of Boone, Carroll and Van Buren counties.
"The governor is focused on his race and has generally stated that he's remaining neutral in primaries this cycle," Gilmore said in a written statement last week. "However, if a candidate is going to openly support one of his opponents, the governor may engage as he has done now with contributions from his PAC to Breanne and Luke."
He said Bailey supports Jan Morgan of Hot Springs. Morgan is a gun range owner who has announced that she is running against Hutchinson in the primary.
Gilmore said ASA PAC mailed a check dated Tuesday to Heffley. The committee gave Davis a check Tuesday at her fundraiser in Little Rock.
Asked why the different amounts, Gilmore said, "The governor knows both of the candidates and commends their willingness to enter public service. Breanne worked in his previous campaign, has served for many years on the Russellville School Board, and the governor believes her campaign is well positioned."
In a telephone interview Friday afternoon, Heffley said he hadn't heard about the contribution.
"I was unaware of any donation. It was unsolicited, and I believe any donations to the candidates in a primary should be in the same amount.
"I just need more information on what it is," he said when asked whether he plans to keep or give back the $1,000 contribution.
Davis had a different reaction.
"Part of being an effective state senator is having a good working relationship with the governor," said Davis, a senior account executive for SAS Institute, a Cary, N.C.-based global analytics firm. "I am appreciative of the governor's support and the momentum it shows for our campaign. I look forward to working with Gov. Hutchinson to address serious issues facing the families of District 16."
Through Dec. 31, she reported raising $28,325 and spending $11,567.17.
Davis' contributions include $2,450 from the Arkansas Health Care Association's Senate PAC; $2,000 from DBH Management Consultants 3 PAC; $1,000 from DBH Management Consultants PAC; $500 from DBH lobbyist Michael Lamoureux of Russellville, a former Republican state senator and Hutchinson's former chief of staff; and $250 apiece from Senate Republican leader Jim Hendren of Sulphur Springs and Senate Republican Whip Bart Hester of Cave Springs. Hutchinson is Hendren's uncle.
Davis said she supports Hutchinson in his bid for a second four-year term because of his commitment to bringing jobs to Arkansas, and his focus on workforce education and computer coding instruction. She also said he has aggressively reduced the Medicaid program's rolls in Arkansas.
Heffley, the special projects director at Arkansas Tech University, said he won't endorse either Hutchinson or Morgan because "I don't believe in endorsing candidates in the primary."
Through Dec. 31, Heffley reported lending his campaign $6,750, raising $4,289.50 in contributions and spending $8,494.50. Heffley's contributions include $2,000 from former Gov. Mike Huckabee of Santa Rosa Beach, Fla. Heffley worked in Huckabee's office.
Bailey, owner of Bailey Signature Firearms in Russellville, could not be reached for comment Friday by telephone or email.
In a post on his Facebook page on Jan. 1, Bailey wrote, "I have supported and will continue to support Jan Morgan" for governor.
In posts on his Facebook page this month, Bailey wrote that Morgan is a constitutional conservative and a small-business owner who is tired of governmental interference and isn't a professional politician.
Morgan spokesman Tracy Horne said Friday, "Jan is supporting Bob Bailey because she feels like he is the best candidate and he is a conservative and she usually supports conservatives."
Through Dec. 31, Bailey reported raising $25,625 and spending $9,317.10. Seven political action committees with the same Fayetteville address collectively contributed $20,000 to Bailey last quarter, according to his report. These seven PACs have opposed the state's version of Medicaid expansion, which is now called Arkansas Works under Hutchinson.
The Senate District 16 seat is vacant because Sen. Greg Standridge, R-Russellville, died in November after a battle with cancer. The special primary will be Feb. 13 and the runoff election, if needed, will be March 13. The winner of the GOP primary will take on Russellville Democrat Teresa Gallegos in a May 22 special election -- the same day as the regular primary.
The Senate District 16 special election is one of three special elections. The other two are for Senate District 29 and House District 83.
Two years ago, Hutchinson endorsed eight legislative candidates, and six of them won their primaries. The governor said he supported them through his ASA PAC. He also recorded robocalls for them and authorized them to use certain remarks in their mailers.
At that time, the governor defended them against what he called "unfair attacks" -- accusations that their support of the state's version of Medicaid expansion meant they also supported the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Seven of the candidates had voted at his request to authorize the use of federal funds to buy private health insurance for low-income Arkansans.
In the fiscal session starting Feb. 12, Hutchinson will work to get the required 27 votes in the Senate, which includes 33 members and two vacant seats, and 75 votes in the House, which includes 99 members and one vacant seat, to reauthorize spending on the Medicaid expansion in fiscal 2019 starting July 1.
Asked about the option of delaying the vote and calling a special session for it after the May 22 special election, Hutchinson said last week, "I'm still optimistic that we are going to have the votes to pass the [Department of Human Services] appropriation in regular course during the fiscal session. With the progress that we have made, I think there's a broader level of support, so I am hopeful that there isn't going to be any problem."
SundayMonday on 01/29/2018