Two out of the three Northwest Arkansas primaries for state legislative seats are headed for runoffs, according to complete, though unofficial, vote results.
Rep. Jana Della Rosa of Rogers was leading opponent Kendon Underwood of Cave Springs. The two are running for the Republican nomination in Rogers’ House District 90, which Della Rosa currently holds.
“When you’ve got opponents working hard, the chances are pretty good you’re going to have a runoff,” Della Rosa said. “Now we have to start all over again, since it is like its own separate election.”
Underwood complimented rival candidate Chris Latimer, who ran on a similar platform of being a staunch conservative.
“It’s pretty clear well over 50% of the voters are ready for conservative change,” Underwood said. No other candidates were in the race.
Meanwhile, Scott Richardson of Bentonville took the lead in his second try in the Republican primary for the House District 91 seat.
Newcomers Delia Haak and Jorge Becker were splitting the remaining early vote, with Haak headed for the runoff.
State law requires a March 31 runoff between the two leading candidates in a primary election where no one candidate gets at least 50% plus one of the vote. Early voting in in the runoff begins March 24.
One Republican legislative primary did appear to conclude Tuesday.
House District 94
Former Benton County Republican Chairman John P. Carr won his race against newcomer Adrienne Woods of Rogers for the GOP nomination for Arkansas House District 94. Carr is also from Rogers.
Complete but unofficial vote totals are:
- Carr 1,019 (52%)
- Woods 938 (48%)
Carr received the endorsement of state Rep. Rebecca Petty, R-Rogers, who decided against running for re-election in District 94.
Carr will face Democrat Jene Huffman-Gilreath of Rogers in the November election. Carr, 45, is an independent information technology consultant. Both campaigned as social and fiscal conservatives.
District 94 extends from New Hope Road on the south to U.S. 62 in the north. Most of the district is east of Interstate 49, except for a part west of I-49 extending to South Walton Boulevard. Both have lived in what is now District 94 for at least 11 years.
House District 90
Challenger Chris Latimer of Rogers fell behind Della Rosa and Underwood in the primary for District 90.
Complete but unofficial vote totals are:
- Della Rosa 1,503 (43%)
- Underwood 1,249 (36%)
- Latimer 722 (21%)
The winner of the runoff will face Democrat Kelly Ross Krout in the Nov. 3 general election.
Della Rosa and Underwood have a history. Underwood came within three votes of defeating Della Rosa in the 2018 primary. That two-way race was Underwood’s first bid for office.
Della Rosa is emphasizing her legislative experience. Both Underwood and Latimer questioned whether she was as conservative as the district’s voters.
Della Rosa, 43, is an industrial engineer and homemaker. Her best known legislative achievement is sponsoring a successful bill to extend time for recess in public schools. That bill passed in the last regular legislative session. Underwood, 31, is an attorney.
District 90 extends from New Hope Road in Rogers on the north to Bethel Heights in the south. It runs from Old Wire Road on the east through Springdale and Elm Springs to the west, reaching the city limit of Highfill.
House District 91
Political newcomer Jorge Becker of Centerton fell behind her two rivals in the District 94 race.
Complete but unofficial vote totals are:
- Richardson 1,530 (44%)
- Haak 1,150 (33%)
- Becker 763 (22%)
Richardson, like Underwood, is trying again. He came within 12 votes of defeating incumbent Rep. Dan Douglas, R-Bentonville, in the 2018 primary. Douglas decided against running for reelection.
The winner of the runoff will run against Democrat Nick Jones.
Haak, 63, and her husband have owned a dairy farm in rural Benton County near Gentry for 40 years. She is an adjunct teacher at John Brown University. Richardson, 48, is an Army veteran and director of technology for an engineering firm.
District 91 stretches from the western tip of Rogers to the Oklahoma border. It includes Gentry along with almost all of Highfill and Centerton, plus much of Cave Springs and parts of Bentonville.
State House members serve two-year terms and have an annual salary of $41,393.
[Click here for complete results from the Washington County and Benton County races.]
The following are complete but unofficial returns for Republican primaries for the state House in the Arkansas River valley. An “i” denotes incumbent.
District 21
(Scott, Sebastian counties)
Richmond (i) 1,805 (51%)
Reynolds 1,795 (49%)
District 74
(Franklin, Logan, Scott, Sebastian counties)
Eubanks (i) 2,292 (61%)
Varnell 965 (26%)
Bates 473 (13%)
NW News on 03/04/2020