Kinion for House District 86

Arkansans began early voting May 7 for the May 22 Republican and Democratic primaries, the first stage of the 2018 election cycle that will include municipal offices (filings in late summer) and the General Election on Nov. 6.

As is normally our practice, we conducted interviews for several legislative races as our editorial board pondered recommendations to make to our readers. We have no delusions that people would (or should) vote one way or the other based only on our perspective. But as with the many issues facing our region, we want to add some thoughts on the subject.

Kinion for House District 86

Greg Leding's decision to vacate House District 86 to run for retiring Uvalde Lindsey's state Senate seat has created an intense contest for the Democratic nomination for this district that covers the University of Arkansas campus and areas to the north/northwest of the UA. Mark Kinion is in his eighth year as a member of the Fayetteville City Council and Nicole Clowney is a relatively recent transplant to Arkansas whose dynamic personality and activism on gun control has captured a lot of attention.

They are very different candidates, but not so much on policy. Either will be a Democrat working in the minority party in the House of Representatives. There are no stark differences on policy issues, so this may come down to either a personality contest or depend on which candidate gets his/her supporters to the polls.

Clowney's quick political rise came as founder of the Northwest Arkansas chapter of Moms Demand Action For Gun Sense, a group that tapped into the anxieties over mass shootings and state Rep. Charlie Collins' bill establishing a concealed handgun permit for qualified individuals older than 21 to be on college campuses in the state. She's undoubtedly more polished as a speaker and adept at organizing like-minded people. Her group was loud and demanding in the halls of the Legislature, but to what end? We're not sure any votes were converted, but they did draw lots of attention.

On the flip side is Kinion, a more wonkish kind of candidate not as good at public speaking. Kinion, however, can be credited for having been in the trenches of public policy through his work as City Council member. He will excel at digging into state government and understanding its ins and outs. He's been around Fayetteville and Washington County his whole life and has a good balance of engagement with urban and rural folks. In the House, we believe his experience, his depth of knowledge and his earnest desire to serve will meet the needs of District 86 voters well.

There is no challenger in November, so whoever wins this primary will be the next representative for the district.

Commentary on 05/08/2018

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