Three Democrats from widely different backgrounds and occupations hope to unseat the freshman Republican currently representing Arkansas’ 1st Congressional District. To get a shot at Rick Crawford, the only member of the GOP to hold the office since Reconstruction, they must first win the Tuesday Democratic primary.
The three, Prosecuting Attorney Scott Ellington of Jonesboro, Arkansas State University economics professor Gary Latanich of Jonesboro and state Rep. Clark Hall, a farmer from Marvell, will be seeking votes in Southeast Arkansas for the first time.
The congressional redistricting plan adopted by the Legislature in 2011 in the wake of the 2010 federal census shifted Desha, Lincoln and Chicot counties and a portion of Jefferson County north and east of the Arkansas River from the 4th District to the 1st District. The additions to the 1st District traditionally favored Democrats.
Crawford, who is finishing his first term in Congress, did not draw a Republican primary opponent in his bid for re-election. He will face the Democratic nominee in November.
The three Democrats are faced with building name recognition in 29 counties stretch from Missouri in the north to Louisiana border in the south, and the Ozark hills to the west. An April poll indicated that almost 72 percent of likely Democratic primary voters in the 1st district were still undecided how they would vote in the May 22 primary.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
They blame partisan bickering and the lack of cooperation on Capitol Hill on Republicans and contend Crawford must accept part of the blame for legislative loggerheads in Washington.
The trio says the economy is the biggest issue among residents of the district, with each of the three indicating jobs and economic development would be their focus if elected.
Ellington
Born and raised at Brookland, a small Craighead County town northeast of Jonesboro, Ellington, 48, is an attorney who is in the middle of his second year as prosecutor for the Second Judicial District, which includes Clay, Craighead, Crittenden, Greene, Mississippi and Poinsett counties.
He is best known for agreeing to a plea deal last year that freed the men known as the West Memphis Three, who had spent 18 years in prison following their convictions in the 1993 deaths of three West Memphis elementary school students.
He contends Republicans in Congress fail to understand the economic impact of their actions, adding he supports reductions in spending and ending tax breaks for corporations that move jobs overseas, in addition to raising taxes for individuals who make $1 million or more annually.
Latanich
Latanich, 64, a native of Cleveland, Ohio, is an Air Force veteran of the Vietnam War. He moved to Arkansas three decades ago to teach economics at ASU and served on then-Gov. Bill Clinton’s Economic Advisory Board as an economic forecaster.
He said he has thought about political office before, but never ran because of family obligations. With his wife now retired and his five children grown, he said he views this year as an opportunity to enter politics.
“It’s time for me. I don’t have any family obligations holding me back,” Latanich observed. “The issues are all economic and I am an economist.”
If elected, Latanich said he would push to expand demand for goods and services, which would require tax cuts for people in the middle and lower income brackets and raising taxes for those in higher income brackets.
He also said federal aid to states needs to be increased to prevent any further budget cuts. The college professor calls for restoring previous cuts to social services and noted the federal government should begin a long-term infrastructure investment program.
Hall
Hall, 64, a Helena native, said gridlock in Washington is causing problems across Arkansas. A long-time farmer who served as mayor of Marvell before being elected to the state House, said his knowledge of farming, as well as municipal and state governments, qualify him to server in Congress.
“Our problem now is decisions need to be made, laws need to be passed and right now we’re just drifting,” Hall added, promising to “work across (political ) lines to balance the budget and make sure that everyone has access to education.”
Hall said he supports revising the federal tax code to make sure that everyone pays their fair share, adding he would like to see tax loopholes closed and supports the extension of the payroll tax cut.