Rep. Greg Leding opened up a commanding lead in early vote results Tuesday in his bid to hang on to Fayetteville’s state Senate District 4 seat for the Democrats.
His challenger was Republican newcomer Dawn Clemence.
Winning would give a rare victory in Northwest Arkansas for Democrats running in Senate races. No district changed party hands in the predominately Republican region.
In the Leding-Clemence race, sitting Sen. Uvalde Lindsey, D-Fayetteville, didn’t run for re-election. The district includes almost all of Fayetteville and Farmington, all of Greenland and small portions of West Fork and Prairie Grove. It includes much of rural, eastern Washington County.
The early, unofficial vote totals were:
Leding 9,740 (67 percent)
Clemence 4,778 (33 percent)
Leding, 40, is a self-employed Web and graphic designer. He said previously he doesn’t presume he can fully replace Lindsey, but believes his legislative experience is a big asset.
“No one in the House has served longer than I have, and I’ve served longer than a third of the members of the Senate,” Leding said. Leding also served one term as House minority leader for the Democrats.
Clemence, 55, said before the election Leding has served Democratic causes more than district ones. She would be less partisan and more results-oriented, she said.
“I’m a pragmatist,” said Clemence, who is a saleswoman for a pharmaceutical company. “I’m not a righty or a lefty. My opponent seems proud to be left of the Democrats at the Capitol.”
Leding said he worked with notably conservative Sen. Jason Rapert, R-Conway, on landowner protection measures and other issues. He’s able to work with conservatives in the Northwest Arkansas delegation effectively while still representing one of the most Democratic House districts in the state, he said.