Womack, Westerman top GOP congressional foes

Two Republican congressmen from Arkansas facing primary challenges easily defeated their opponents Tuesday.

In the 4th Congressional District, with 888 of 920 precincts reporting, U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman of Hot Springs led the Rev. Randy Caldwell of Hot Springs Village.

The unofficial and incomplete results were:

Westerman 39,873

Caldwell 10,041

In the 3rd Congressional District, with 537 of 551 precincts reporting, U.S. Rep. Steve Womack of Rogers led the Rev. Robb Ryerse of Springdale.

The unofficial and incomplete results were:

Womack 49,647

Ryerse 9,595

[ELECTIONS COVERAGE: Find all results + stories]

With Congress in session, both incumbents cast ballots ahead of time and monitored the returns from Washington, D.C.

For both men, it was their first primary challenge since taking office.

Westerman was standing with constituents on the steps of the U.S. Capitol, preparing to lead a night tour at 7:30 p.m. when the polls closed.

By 7:35 p.m. Arkansas time, at least one outlet in the state had declared Westerman the winner, but the congressmen said he wanted to see more numbers before making a statement.

One hour later, Westerman expressed satisfaction with the results.

“I’m just very thankful for the voters for putting their trust in me with their votes and for recognizing the hard work I’ve been doing up here on their behalf,” Westerman said in an interview. “I think the conservative values that I stand for are represented well and I look forward to taking that message into the general election.”

Womack, who is serving his fourth term, learned he had won shortly after polls closed.

Thanks to the Internet, he was able to listen to the election returns as they were broadcast live on his father’s radio station.

“I don’t have the words to explain just how grateful I am for the opportunity to move ahead to the November election. I took nothing for granted,” he said.

“Clearly our message of limited government, more freedom, lower taxes, fewer regulations and free market principles is in keeping with the Republican platform and it’s a great feeling to see the kind of returns that we’re watching tonight,” he added.

In the 4th District, Westerman will face Democratic candidate Hayden Catherine Shamel of Hot Springs and Libertarian Tom Canada of Scranton in the Nov. 6 general election.

In the 3rd District, Womack will square off against Democrat Josh Mahony and Libertarian Michael Kalagias in the fall.

Westerman, a Southern Baptist Sunday School teacher, fought off a challenge from Caldwell, a Pentecostal evangelist who said God had told him to run for Congress.

After residing in League City, Texas, for 15 years, Caldwell announced in February that he had returned to his native state to seek elected office.

Both men stressed their support for President Donald Trump.

Westerman, 50, who has a master’s degree in forestry from Yale University, serves on the House Agriculture Committee and is the sponsor of the Resilient Federal Forests Act, which would make it harder for environmentalists to derail federal forest management plans and easier to increase funding for firefighters when costs soar beyond projections.

His opponent, who frequently refers to himself as “Dr. Caldwell,” declined to disclose his educational background.

Westerman, an engineer and forester, is a former Arkansas House of Representatives majority leader who previously served on the Fountain Lake School Board.

Caldwell, 54, who described himself as “a preacher, not a politician,” did not list any political experience.

The Caldwell campaign declined to comment late Tuesday.

In the 3rd District, voters chose between candidates with vastly different visions for the Republican Party and the nation.

Womack, 61, is the former mayor of Rogers and serves as chairman of the House Budget Committee. A graduate of Arkansas Tech University, he is a former Rogers City Council member, radio station manager and financial consultant.

He also served for more than three decades in the Arkansas Army National Guard, retiring with the rank of colonel.

Ryerse, 43, was backed by Brand New Congress, an organization founded by supporters of former Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders.

A graduate of Biblical Seminary in Hatfield, Pa., Ryerse supported raising the federal minimum wage, eliminating tax loopholes for large corporations, expanding Medicaid and promoting renewable energy. He said he enjoyed challenging “a political establishment that doesn’t serve the people very well.”

Ryerse, the pastor of Fayetteville’s Vintage Fellowship, said he is glad that he ran.

“The thing I’ve enjoyed most is meeting people all over Arkansas who are creative and engaged in making the country and the world a better place. They’ve really been an inspiration to me,” he added.

Metro on 05/23/2018

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