LITTLE ROCK — The race to decide who will hold the next juvenilecourt judgeship serving Perry and Pulaski counties seemed headed for a runoff after none of the three candidates seeking the post appeared to win a majority in Tuesday’s election to decide the race.
With all Pulaski County precincts reporting, the unofficial results for the 6th Judicial District, Division 11, Sub-District 6.2 race were:
Patti James ................... 12,255 John Hout ....................10,055 Tjuana Byrd .................. 6,657
With none of the candidates appearing to win a bare majority of the ballot, the two top vote-getters, James and Hout, will compete for the post in the November general elections.
James, 44, attributed her lead to her supporters. She promised a vigorous campaign leading up to the runoff.
“My volunteers went out there and worked real hard. I wouldn’t be here without them,” she said. “We’re going to regroup and get back to work. That’s all we can do.”
Hout, 43, said higher voter turnout could have changed the course of the election. With a runoff in his future, he said he was preparing for six more months of vigorous campaigning.
“Obviously, I would have liked the numbers to be different, but it’s not surprising with the low turnout,” Hout said. “At this point, I can guarantee I will work extremely hard [to win in November]. Anyone who watched my campaign has seen my ability to do that.”
The contest pitted James, a longtime family-law practitioner, against Hout, a longtime prosecutor, and Byrd, a part-time North Little Rock city attorney who also practices family law and criminal defense. The three were competing to replace Melinda Gilbert, the 46-yearold judge who died of a degenerative nerve disease in May 2011, about 2 1/2 years into her first term. A gubernatorial appointee has held the post since June 2011, but was barred from seeking election to the position.
James reported the most contributions, $76,318, according to the most recent financial disclosures, significantly more than each of her opponents, with Byrd reporting $47,640 collected and Hout reporting $56,691 in donations. With $67,498 in expenditures, James also outspent her competitors, compared with $47,640 reported by Byrd and $45,950 for Hout.
The reports, representing April’s campaign activity, showed that James raised $30,613 while Byrd raised $16,220 and Hout collected $6,820. The filings show that James spent $39,250 in the month leading up to the election, with her largest expenses being $27,766 for radio and TV advertising. Byrd spent $7,184 in April, with $4,229 of that on signs. Hout spent $23,500 for the month, with his notable expenses $22,500 in television ads.
Arkansas, Pages 11 on 05/23/2012