LITTLE ROCK — Democrat Hudson Hallum won the District 54 state House of Representatives seat with 51 percent of the vote in Tuesday’s Crittenden County special election.
Hallum, 27, of Marion, replaces Rep. Fred Smith, D Crawfordsville, who resigned after he was convicted of felony theft.
Complete but unofficial results were:
Hudson Hallum. . . . . . . . . . 987
D’James Rogers II. . . . . . . . 537
John Geelan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .415
The candidates didn’t return messages for comment after the election Tuesday.
Hallum’s victory means Democrats will hold 55 of the 100 House seats.
He received $67,000 in loans to finance his campaign, which put him at a financial advantage over Republican Geelan, 63, of Marion, and Independent Rogers, 31, of West Memphis. Geelan’s campaign raised $8,054. Rogers’ campaign raised $1,657.
The state Board of Election Commissioners monitored Tuesday’s election because there were allegations of voter fraud during the May Democratic primary run-off.
More allegations of wrongdoing with the absentee ballots arose Tuesday. Poll workers questioned 71 ballots and determined 21 votes were invalid. Poll workers can challenge a ballot if the voter is suspected to be ineligible to vote in the precinct or if the voter has already voted, said Eric Darden, the Crittenden County election commissioner.
“The special election held today is a clear sign that the people of Arkansas are looking for Arkansas Democrats who will stand up for working families in our state to represent them in the statehouse,” Chairman Will Bond of the Democratic Party of Arkansas said in a statement.
“Hudson Hallum will provide strong leadership for the people of Crittenden County while working to create educational opportunity for all, create jobs and improve workforce development, and continue the grocery tax cut.”
Chase Dugger, executive director of the Republican Party of Arkansas, said after the election: “We thank John Geelan for running an honest campaign and working hard for an opportunity to serve the people of Crittenden County.This special election has been an educational experience for everyone involved and we look forward to improving the quality and fairness of our election process.”
Arkansas, Pages 11 on 07/13/2011