District 35 race could have historic implications
Hotly contested House seat coveted by state Democrats, Republicans
By Ralph Hardin
news@theeveningtimes.com
In a time of deep political division in our country, it seems no race where a Democrat and a Republican are facing off is inconsequential.
That fact plays a large role in why the race between Jessie McGruder and Robert Thorne Jr. for the Arkansas House of Representatives District 35 seat, a seat being vacated by current State Rep. Milton Nicks, who elected not to seek a sixth term in the Arkansas state legislature, creating a wide open race to fill the position. It has been a hotly contested race over the past several months, with both candidates needing to win their party’s primaries to secure the nomination.
In March, Thorne easlit ooutpolled GOP rival Gary Tobar Jr. to become the Republican nominee, while McGruder had to survive a runoff in April, besting Raymond Whiteside to get his name on the ballot for November’s vote and set up the contest between the two candidates.
House District 35 includes Marion, Turrell, Earle Crawfordsville, Jericho, a sliver of northeast West Memphis and a number of rural north and west Crittenden County communities, is one of the more consequential of the 100 Arkansas races. It is one of the few seats in the state legislature still held by the Democratic Party, which as recently as 2014 had a majority in both the Arkansas House and Arkansas Senate.
As political leanings in the state began to shift, Arkansas Democrats have seen their power greatly diminished and now only control 20 of the 100 House seats.
The seat has not only been historically Democrat (for over 120 years), for nearly 40 years, the district has been held by a Black legislator (with the exception of a three week period in which Hudson Hallum held the seat before resigning amid a voter fraud scandal).
In the 1980s, lawmakers tasked with redistricting the state’s house district boundaries intentionally created districts with majority Black populations to allow for better minority representation in the Arkansas General Assembly.
Since that time, representatives such as Nicks, Fred Smith and Ben McGee Sr. have served in that position.
However, when the district maps were redrawn in 2021, the new lines (mandated every 10 years due to the U.S. Census) were not drawn with this same intentionality. With Democrats seeing fewer and fewer party strongholds in the state, McGruder has received support from Democrats here and across the state.
Thorne, as a representative of the up-and-coming Arkansas Republican leadership, is hoping to win and help his party secure an even greater majority in the state legislature. A Republican has not held a state House seat in Crittenden County since 1888.
The Citizens First Congress and the Arkansas Pubilc Poicy Panel recently sent out a mailer to all voters in District 35 with the message, “House District 35 is one of the most competitive races in all of Arkansas. Your vote could make the difference!”
The flyer included information about each candidate but did not make an endorsement, only the message, “Before you vote, make sure you know what your candidates are fighting for!”
Early voting continues this week, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
(10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, through Monday, Nov. 4.
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 5, when polls will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
