Nonprofit names Cantrell a fellow
Arkansas Assistant Solicitor General Mike Cantrell was recently named a Ryan and Regan Haggerty Family Fellow by the Conservative Partnership Institute.
The Washington-based nonprofit group, which was launched by former U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., last year, announced its inaugural class of 14 fellows last month.
The fellowship “brings together a selective group of promising young conservative professionals who are interested in maximizing their influence in the conservative movement as leaders, philanthropists and engaged citizens,” the institute’s website states.
The three-day fellowship in Washington included meetings with “key conservative influencers” and “a preview of upcoming policy battles.”
An Arkansas native, Cantrell is a graduate of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock’s William H. Bowen School of Law.
He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Central Arkansas and holds a doctorate in philosophy from Baylor University.
Before joining the attorney general’s office in August of 2015 as an assistant attorney general, he clerked for Judge Lavenski R. Smith of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and for U.S. District Judge J. Leon Holmes.
Cantrell was promoted to assistant solicitor general in June.
Campaigns tracker losing its appeal
Most political candidates from Arkansas and nationwide are ignoring issue inquiries from Vote Smart, an Iowa-based nonprofit organization that has been tracking campaigns since the 1990s.
Only 25 percent of the state’s congressional candidates responded to questions from the group this year. Only one-third of the state’s gubernatorial candidates participated, the organization said.
Early on, the group had powerful allies. Its founders included former Presidents Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford, 1964 Republican presidential nominee Barry Goldwater, 1972 Democratic presidential nominee George McGovern and 1988 Democratic presidential nominee Michael Dukakis.
At its peak in 1996, 72 percent of candidates nationwide responded to the group’s inquiries. This year, that figure slipped to 26 percent.
With the rise of the Internet, the amount of candidate information that voters can tap has grown exponentially. The number of surveys has also risen.
Lawmakers back dyslexia proposal
U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman introduced a resolution Tuesday, calling on Congress to designate October 2018 as National Dyslexia Awareness Month.
The proposal was forwarded to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. The House wasn’t in session last month.
U.S. Rep. French Hill was among 15 lawmakers who co-sponsored the resolution.
Westerman, a Republican from Hot Springs, and Hill, a Republican from Little Rock, are members of the Congressional Dyslexia Caucus. Westerman, a former Fountain Lake School Board president, recently became the caucus’ co-chairman.
Two years ago, Westerman hosted a Congressional Dyslexia Forum in Hot Springs, appearing with Sally Shaywitz, co-director of the Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity.
GOP chili cookoff, rally ready to start
Arkansas Republicans will be gathering in Jonesboro on Monday for a get-out-the-vote rally and chili cookoff from 6-8 p.m. at the Arkansas State University Farmers Market.
U.S. Rep. Rick Crawford, a Republican from Jonesboro, launched the annual event in 2016.
Cooks compete for the Golden Ladle trophy. This year, Lt. Gov. Tim Griffin will be vying for the award, Crawford added.
Music is provided by Crawford’s band, Triple Nickel.
Asked about the key to chili-cooking success, Griffin said, “The spice mix is the key. All the ingredients are important but the primary thing you taste is the spice mix. It has to be right.”
The chili cookoff took the place of Crawford’s annual rainbow stew, which ended in 2015.
Rainbow stew reportedly included red peppers, green peppers, yellow peppers, orange carrots, green onions, purple onions, chicken, chicken broth, spicy sausage, celery and beans.
“Rainbow Stew” was also the name of a 1981 Merle Haggard hit.
Planning to visit the nation’s capital? Know something happening in Washington, D.C.? Please contact Frank Lockwood at (202) 662-7690 or [email protected]. Want the latest from the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette’s Washington bureau? It’s available on Twitter, @LockwoodFrank.