New Faces Headed to Arkansas General Assembly
11.8.18 – KARK
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (Arkansas Money & Politics) — Tuesday night went to the incumbents in Arkansas' races for constitutional and U.S. House seats. With the exceptions of John Thurston, who was promoted by voters to Secretary of State, and Tommy Land, who claimed Thurston's vacant Commissioner of State Lands position, all of Arkansas' constitutional offices stayed the same.
However, there will be a bevy of new faces in the Arkansas General Assembly come January.
The Arkansas Senate will welcome five new lawmakers, all of whom have made their way across the Capitol from the House. Greg Leding (D-District 4), Bob Ballinger (R-District 5), Mathew Pitsch (R-District 8), James Sturch (R-District 19) and Kim Hammer (R-District 33) will be sworn into the Senate in January.
Mark Johnson, of District 15, will also be headed to the Arkansas Senate, though he had no opponent going into Tuesday's election.
The Arkansas House will feature some fresher faces, welcoming new lawmakers Don Glover (D-District 11), Jasen Kelly (R-District 28), Andrew Collins (D-District 35), Mark Perry (D-District 42), Craig Christiansen (R-District 47), Marsha Davis (R-District 61), Spencer Hawks (R-District 70), Joe Cloud (R-District 71), Denise Garner (D-District 84), Megan Godfrey (D-District 89), Gayla Hendren McKenzie (R-District 92) and Harlan Breaux (R-District 97).
It's worth noting that Christiansen will make his way to the House after defeating the state's Democratic Party chairman and two-term legislator Rep. Michael John Gray. But according to the Secretary of State's website, Gray trails Christiansen by less than 100 votes, and the state's Democratic Party is claiming an error in the reporting.
It's also worth noting that Rep. Mickey Gates, a Republican serving District 22 which encompasses Garland and Saline counties, won his re-election bid despite being charged with failing to pay taxes. Gov. Asa Hutchinson called for Gates to resign this summer. He held his seat with 65 percent of the vote.