Jonesboro Republicans John Cooper and Dan Sullivan advanced in Tuesday’s primary election to next month’s GOP runoff for a vacant state Senate seat in Craighead County, as Jonesboro Democrats Radius Baker and Steve Rockwell qualified for their party’s runoff.
The runoffs are set for Nov. 12. The winners will duel in the Jan. 14 special election in District 21.
Jonesboro Democrat Paul Bookout resigned on Aug. 20, the same day a special prosecutor was appointed to review the legislator’s personal use of more than $53,000 in campaign funds and four days after the Arkansas Ethics Commission fined him $8,000 for four violations of state ethics laws.
Between Paul Bookout and his late father, Jerry Bookout, the Bookout family had held a state Senate seat representing Craighead County for most of the past four decades.
After the primary results were announced, state Republican Party Executive Director Megan Tollett said in a news release that “Craighead County is ready for change. … The Republican Party of Arkansas looks forward to having one of these great conservative leaders as the first Republican to hold this seat since Reconstruction!”
A spokesman for the state Democratic Party, Patrick Burgwinkle, countered that Craighead County voters “want a state senator who will work with Governor [Mike] Beebe to create jobs and strengthen education. We look forward to working with our Democratic nominee who will work for those priorities and move our state forward.”
According to the secretary of state’s office, the final, unofficial results in the Republican primary were: Cooper. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,177 Sullivan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,172 Chad Niell. . . . . . . . . . . . . .903
According to the secretary of state’s office, the final, unofficial results in the Democratic primary were: Baker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,083 Rockwell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .956 Ray Kidd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207 Gene Roebuck. . . . . . . . . . 172
Overall, 3,252 Republican ballots were cast, while 2,418 Democratic votes were placed, according to the secretary of state’s office.
Niell, chief executive officer for Tiger Correctional Services, said he’s not surprised that he failed.
“Cooper told lie after after lie after lie, and Sullivan was the beneficiary,” Niell said.
He said Cooper tried to paint him as a liberal. He said Cooper also claimed to be the only candidate against the “private option” legislation that the Legislature enacted earlier this year. It authorizes the use of federal Medicaid dollars to purchase private insurance through health-insurance exchanges for an estimated 250,000 uninsured Arkansans.
After filing for the Senate seat, Cooper criticized Niell for contributing $2,000 to help Attorney General Dustin McDaniel’s gubernatorial campaign, and $500 to help Jonesboro Democrat Harold Copenhaver successfully oust state Rep. John Hubbard, R-Jonesboro, last November. Niell’s spokesman said McDaniel and Copenhaver are Niell’s personal friends.
Niell said he doesn’t know whether he’ll support Cooper or Sullivan in the runoff.
He reported spending the most money of any of the seven candidates and personally loaned his campaign $115,000. Last month, his firm was fined $21,000 by the Arkansas Securities Department after it acknowledged it operated without a state license from 2010-2013. The company said it had not intentionally evaded the requirement.
But Cooper, a retired AT&T manager, said he didn’t tell lies about Niell.
He said Niell “had baggage and the voters realized that,” which was reflected in the results.
Cooper, who lost to state Rep. Butch Wilkins, D-Bono, last November, said he’s pleased about qualifying for the runoff.
He said he’s going to get historically conservative voters to turn out in the runoff election to help him beat Sullivan.
Sullivan, chief executive officer of Ascent Children’s Health Services, said he’s “real excited” to advance to the runoff election and credited his strong showing to broad support among several business sectors, churches and neighborhoods where he campaigned. He’s an elder at the Southwest Church of Christ.
He said he’s going to “broaden our base and find people who are ready to support us” to try to defeat Cooper.
Baker, superintendent of the Valley View School District, said he’s pleased to qualify for the runoff, adding “hopefully we are up to the challenge.
“We are going to do everything we can to get our message out,” to help him defeat Rockwell, Baker said.
Baker said he and Rockwell, who is an executive at his family’s publishing companies, “are not old-core politicians,” adding each is making his first bid for elected office. Sullivan and Niell also are making their first stab at elected office.
Baker said he would use the state’s resources wisely and be ethical in everything he does. He also promised to communicate with the district’s constituents.
Rockwell said he worked hard and ran a good, strong campaign.
“Tomorrow, we continue our campaign to strengthen our region’s economy, make Northeast Arkansas a jobs magnet and to keep our budget balanced and taxes low,” he said Tuesday night in a news release. “We will continue our fight to improve our public schools, invest in Arkansas State University and make our state government more transparent.”
Neither Kidd nor Roebuck could be reached for comment by telephone Tuesday night about the election results.
Kidd is a retired antiques dealer who serves as justice of the peace for Craighead County and was in the state House of Representatives from 2005-11.
Roebuck is a retired insurance agent who was in the state Senate from 1997-2001.
Arkansas, Pages 9 on 10/09/2013