A state representative who opposes Arkansas' private option Medicaid expansion has defeated a Republican senator who voted in favor of the plan.
State Rep. Terry Rice of Waldron defeated incumbent Sen. Bruce Holland in Tuesday's general election. At 10:35 p.m., with 63 of 84 precincts reporting, Rice had 2,955 votes, or 57 percent, to Holland's 2,233 votes, or 43 percent.
Rice will not face a Democratic opponent in November for the Senate seat.
Holland was among the Republican senators who supported the private option Medicaid expansion, which uses federal money to buy private health insurance for low-income Arkansans.
Rice voted against the plan in the state House, saying the plan could be a bad financial move for Arkansas in the long run. Holland disagreed, saying that the Legislature passed the best plan it could, given the circumstances.