Runoffs will determine loaded state House races in Benton County, and two sitting legislators in the River Valley appeared to withstand challenges in their primaries Tuesday.
Redistricting last year resulted in 14 contested state House primaries in Northwest Arkansas, all but two of which were for Republican candidates.
Four primary winners will face no opposition in November.
Runoffs for the primary elections will be held June 21. Candidates must receive a majority of votes to avoid a runoff.
District 13
The most contested state House race in Northwest Arkansas, for District 13, saw businesswoman Denise Bugos head to a runoff with information systems manager Scott Richardson. The winner of the runoff will face Democrat Jen Standerfer in November.
The other two Republican candidates were Bentonville City Council member Aubrey Patterson and attorney Greg Payne.
Bugos, who worked as a buyer for Walmart Stores Inc. before starting a brokerage firm and then a luxury vacation rental business, touted her background as setting her apart from her fellow primary candidates. Richardson came within 12 votes of winning a state House nomination in the 2018 Republican primary and led the primary field among three candidates in 2020 before losing to Rep. Delia Haak, R-Gentry, in a runoff.
Southeast 14th Street in Bentonville lies along most of District 13’s northern border. The district’s southernmost border touches Rainbow Road, also in Bentonville. District 13 extends to Southwest Regional Airport Road on the west and North 24th Street in Rogers in the east.
District 12
A member of the Hendren family, which has long represented northern Benton County in the state Legislature, will go to a runoff with a fellow member of her local school board.
Hope Hendren Duke, daughter of former state Sen. Kim Hendren, R-Gravette, and sister to state Sen. Jim Hendren, I-Sulphur Springs, and state Rep. Gayla McKenzie, R-Gravette, led the Republican District 12 primary field but fell short of winning outright against Jay Oliphant, president of the Gravette School Board.
Duke cited her experience on the Gravette School Board, including her support for making mask-wearing optional during the height of the covid pandemic. She also pointed to her efforts before being elected to the board to defeat a proposed 3.6-mill tax increase in 2014.
Oliphant touted his business experience, including nine years in the accounting department of Walmart Stores Inc., having spent time as senior director in the company’s real estate and international finance departments. Oliphant cast the lone dissenting vote on the Gravette School Board in April 2021 against lifting a district mask mandate.
The third candidate in the primary race was Jason Maxwell, a Realtor critical of school district policies related to race and library books.
District 12 is bounded by the Missouri state line on the north and the Oklahoma state line on the west. The district takes in Decatur and reaches as far south as Floyd Moore Road. The district’s eastern extent reaches parts of Bella Vista.
River Valley
In the River Valley, state Rep. Charlene Fite, R-Van Buren, was leading to hold onto her sixth term in the Arkansas House. Her District 24 Republican primary challenger was Christie Robertson, executive director of 1st Choice Pregnancy Medical Center in Fort Smith.
District 24 includes cities and towns in western, central and southeastern Crawford County. It includes Cedarville, Rudy, Alma, Dyer and Kibler, as well as part of western Mulberry and eastern Van Buren. The district also includes parts of southwestern Washington County.
State Rep. Lee Johnson, R-Greenwood, held his position in the House, having served since 2018. His District 47 Republican primary opponent was Wade Dunn, a self-employed convenience store operator.
District 47 includes portions of Sebastian and Crawford counties.
Both Fite and Johnson would face no opposition in the November general election.
Other races
Real estate appraiser Brian Hester defeated Realtor Don McNaughton in Washington County’s District 22 Republican primary. Hester will face state Rep. David Whitaker, D-Fayetteville, in the November general election. Whitaker is seeking his sixth term in the Legislature. Whitaker and Hester faced each other in the November 2020 general election.
Also in Washington County, Lincoln School Board member Kendra Moore will face Washington County Quorum Court member Jim Wilson in a runoff. Byron Suggs, a cattle ranch owner, was the third candidate in the District 23 Republican primary. Either Moore or Wilson will face Libertarian Ryan Hanson in November.
Attorney and real estate developer Rebecca Burkes will face Democrat Rey Hernandez in the November general election. Burkes defeated truck driver Robert Fair to secure the District 11 Republican nomination. Rep. Megan Godfrey, D-Springdale, didn’t seek reelection after the district’s legislative boundaries were redrawn. District 11 takes in a portion of downtown Springdale, but most of the district lies north of the Washington County line in Benton County.
In the two contested Democratic primaries, Monique Jones defeated Hunter Vick for the District 18 position in Washington County. Jones is director of outreach for St. James Missionary Baptist Church in Fayetteville and a member of the Fayetteville Housing Authority Board. She will challenge state Rep. Robin Lundstrum, R-Elm Springs, in the general election.
Paula Irwin, a retired music teacher from Springdale and longtime Democratic activist, defeated Richard Billingsley, founder of Ozark Rail and Bus Transit, a nonprofit advocacy group, for the District 19 Democratic Party nomination. She will face Republican Steve Unger in the November general election.
Other Northwest Arkansas Republican primary results were:
Family farm operator Jody Harris narrowly was leading Huntsville School District teacher Chad Puryear in District 25. Harris would face Democrat Caitlin Oxford in November.
Steven Walker and Timmy Reid were heading to a runoff for House District 27, which includes Newton, Searcy, Stone and Izard counties. Alan Yarbrough and Jerry Loggins were the other two candidates.
Jon Eubanks was leading Shawn Bates in the River Valley’s District 46.
Ryan Rose was leading Max Blake for District 48’s Republican primary position in Crawford and Sebastian counties.
Zachary Gramlich defeated former legislator Jim Medley in Sebastian County’s District 50 Republican primary. Gramlich will face Democrat Diane Osborne in November.
State Rep. Marcus Richmond will go to a runoff in the Republican primary for District 52 against Mike Jones., The district includes Scott, Sebastian and Yell counties. Greg Bland was the third candidate. The runoff winner will face John Wayne Catlett, an independent, in the November election.
There are 100 districts in the state House of Representatives. House members serve two-year terms and receive a base salary of $44,357.
ARKANSAS HOUSE
Complete but unofficial results are:
DISTRICT 11
Robert Fair (R) 344 (21%)
Rebecca Burkes (R) 1,264 (79%)
DISTRICT 12
Jason Maxwell (R) 1,091 (23%)
Jay Oliphant (R) 1,674 (35%)
Hope Duke (R) 2,051 (42%)
DISTRICT 13
Aubrey Patterson (R) 430 (21%)
Denise Bugos (R) 763 (37%)
Scott Richardson (R) 692 (34%)
Gregory Payne (R) 173 (8%)
DISTRICT 18
Monique Jones (D) 720 (87%)
Hunter Vick (D) 109 (13%)
DISTRICT 19
Paula Irwin (D) 906 (90%)
Richard Billingsley (D) 100 (10%)
DISTRICT 22
Don McNaughton (R) 627 (31%)
Brian Hester (R) 1,422 (69%)
DISTRICT 23
Kendra Moore (R) 1,702 (47%)
Byron Suggs (R) 843 (23%)
Jim Wilson (R) 1,068 (30%)
DISTRICT 47
Wade Dunn (R) 2,436 (44%)
Lee Johnson (R) 3,137 (56%)
DISTRICT 50
Jim Medley (R) 866 (29%)
Zack Gramlich (R) 2,150 (71%)
DISTRICT 52
Greg Bland (R) 1,344 (27%)
Mike Jones (R) 1,491 (30%)
Marcus Richmond (R) 2,117 (43%)
Incomplete results are:
DISTRICT 24
Christie Robertson (R) 1,462 (36%)
Charlene Fite (R) 2,618 (64%)
DISTRICT 25
Jody Harris (R) 1,987 (50%)
Chad Puryear (R) 1,979 (49%)
DISTRICT 27
Steve Walker (R) 2,012 (34%)
Timmy Reid (R) 1,601 (27%)
Alan Yarbrough (R) 1,486 (25%)
Jerry Loggins (R) 811 (14%)
DISTRICT 46
Jon Eubanks (R) 3,608 (69%)
Shawn Bates (R) 1,600 (31%)
DISTRICT 48
Ryan Rose (R) 97 (55%)
Max Blake (R) 78 (45%)
For latest results go to nwavote.com
Stacy Ryburn can be reached by email at [email protected] or on Twitter @stacyryburn.