A Little Rock born-and-raised woman bested her opponent in the Democratic primary for Pulaski County circuit/county clerk and will face a Republican opponent in the general election in November.
With 137 of 137 precincts reporting, unofficial returns were:
Terri Hollingsworth 18,044
Christopher Crane 10,324
The position, which is held for a four-year term, pays $106,777 annually.
[ELECTIONS COVERAGE: Find all results + stories]
The current clerk, Larry Crane, the father of Christopher Crane, will step down at the end of the year.
Hollingsworth will face Republican Steve Walden in the November election.
"I am overwhelmed right now," Hollingsworth said when reached by phone. "I am so excited that the people spoke, and I look forward to working with the Cranes so we can win in November."
Hollingsworth also thanked the residents of Pulaski County, especially the women, for going out to vote.
The circuit/county clerk manages about 95 employees. Records for marriages, divorces, real estate, voter registration, ministerial licensing and criminal prosecution for 17 circuit judges are handled by the clerk's office at 401 W. Markham St.
Hollingsworth is a 54-year-old substitute schoolteacher who also works part time at Dave & Sons Cigars & Pipes.
She has spent her career in a wide range of public-service jobs, including for Little Rock and the Downtown Little Rock Partnership. She also managed the day-to-day operations at the Delta Regional Authority and directed the state Board of Election Commissioners between 1996 and 2000.
Hollingsworth said in an interview last month that she saw her candidacy as a way to "change the status quo."
Her top priority, she said, is protecting voter-registration data. Hollingsworth also said she took issue with Act 633 of 2017, which requires voters to show photo IDs or swear to their identities.
She was born in Little Rock, has degrees from Howard University and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, and has a son.
Crane, 49, has been the Arkansas film commissioner for about 11 years. In that job, he works to pass legislation that entices filmmakers, companies like HBO, and film industry jobs to the state.
Before his current position, Crane taught at Parkview High School in Little Rock for eight years.
In an interview last month, Crane said he "felt compelled to run and to continue the legacy that my father has built." They discuss the job regularly, he said.
Reached by phone Tuesday night, Crane said he thought Hollingsworth ran a "great campaign, and she defeated me soundly, and I didn't expect that."
"I think that we have a huge Me Too movement," Crane added. "I think that she's a strong, smart, African-American female. And I think that hopefully my supporters will come out and support her in the general."
Metro on 05/23/2018