Seven presidential candidates -- six Republicans and one on the Democratic side -- filed Monday to run in the March 1 primary, the first day of filing for state and federal offices in Arkansas for the 2016 election.
Accompanied by his wife, Janet, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee was the only one of the seven to file in person Monday. Heidi Cruz, the wife of Republican U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, filed on behalf of her husband's presidential campaign.
Former U.S. Attorney Conner Eldridge of Fayetteville, a Democrat, and former Tull Mayor Frank Gilbert, a Libertarian, filed their papers for their respective bids to oust Republican U.S. Sen. John Boozman of Rogers.
State Supreme Court Justice Courtney Goodson and Circuit Judge Shawn Womack, a former Republican state senator from Mountain Home, filed their papers to run for chief justice of the state Supreme Court and Position 5 on the state Supreme Court, respectively.
By the end of the first day of filing, 139 candidates had filed for state and federal office, according to the secretary of state's office. The Democratic and Republican parties' filing fees range from $25,000 for Republican presidential candidates to $2,500 for Democratic presidential candidates.
The filing period runs through next Monday. Candidates for local offices such as county judge and sheriff file at county clerks' offices across the state.
A few minutes after the filing period opened at noon Monday, Huckabee was the first candidate to file with Secretary of State Mark Martin.
"Throughout this process, it's one in which people think they know where things are headed," Huckabee said at a news conference in the state Capitol.
"But if history is any teacher at all, where things are now is no indication whatsoever of where things will be [in February] when the Iowa caucus actually gathers and people start voting," said Huckabee, who lost his previous bid for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008.
Arkansas is one of several states participating in the Southern regional presidential primary on March 1 as a result of the Legislature's decision earlier this year to move the primary election from May 24 to March 1. Alabama, Georgia, Oklahoma, Texas, Tennessee and Virginia also are holding their primary on March 1.
"One thing I learned about politics, and I learned it here in Arkansas, you never take anything for granted ever," Huckabee said when asked whether he thought he would have any problems winning Arkansas.
"I am the only presidential candidate whose headquarters are in Arkansas. I am the only one who has deep roots, that owns property here, that have grandkids here, that have kids here, that have volunteers in all 75 counties," he said.
A few hours later, Heidi Cruz filed papers for her husband's campaign.
"We are going to play strong in Arkansas," she told reporters. "We have spent a lot of time in this state and we are getting to know the men and women of Arkansas and we are really excited about Ted's ability to do very very well here."
Asked if she thought her husband would win Arkansas on March 1, Heidi Cruz said, "I am not into making projections, but I am into working hard, so I can assure you that we have boots on the ground and I'll be here a lot and so will he."
Representatives for four other Republican presidential candidates -- former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Dr. Ben Carson, Ohio Gov. John Kasich and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida -- also filed papers Monday at the state Capitol.
Former state House Speaker Davy Carter, R-Cabot, filed papers for Bush and state Sen. Bart Hester, R-Cave Springs, filed for Rubio. Former Washington County Republican Chairman Jim Reavis of Fayetteville filed for Kasich and a Carson regional staff member, Robert Saparow, filed for Carson.
Bryant antique store owner Joyce Boswell filed for U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, who is running for the Democratic presidential nomination.
"We don't vote for who we think is going to win our state. We vote for the person that we think can do the best job, and that's what I am doing," she said in an interview.
Boswell declined to say why she thinks Sanders could do a better job than Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, a former first lady of Arkansas and the United States, former U.S. senator from New York and former U.S. secretary of state.
"I am just here showing my support for Bernie Sanders," she said. "He's not afraid to speak out and tell you where he stands."
Accompanied by his wife, Mary Elizabeth, and their three children, Eldridge submitted paperwork to challenge Boozman, who has served in the U.S. Senate since 2011 and previously represented Arkansas' 3rd Congressional District from 2001-2011.
"Anybody that has been in Washington ... 14 years is responsible for what has occurred on their watch, and it is time for a change in this state," Eldridge told reporters. "It is time for new leadership to pay attention to things that really matter for this state, and that's what our campaign is going to be all about.
"I think that people in Arkansas realize that the issues we face are not partisan issues. There are issues that not one party has a monopoly on. There are issues that people need to approach with common sense and with hard work and that's what we are going to do," he said.
Gilbert, who ran unsuccessfully as the Libertarian candidate for governor last year, is challenging Boozman as a Libertarian candidate in 2016. He could not be reached for comment by telephone Monday night.
Nathan LaFrance, a Libertarian from Bella Vista, filed for Arkansas' 3rd Congressional District seat now held by Rogers Republican Steve Womack. Kerry Hicks, a Libertarian from Mena, filed for Arkansas' 4th Congressional District seat now held by Hot Springs Republican Bruce Westerman.
Goodson is seeking to succeed state Supreme Court Chief Justice Howard Brill, who is completing the term of Jim Hannah, who served as chief justice for the past 10 years. Hannah retired because of poor health at the end of August.
"I trust the people, and I want people to trust the Supreme Court and, as I've been traveling across Arkansas, what I've heard from Arkansans is they want an open and accountable Supreme Court, so I want to be a chief justice who promotes just that," she told reporters.
Goodson said she wasn't signaling that she intends to vote in a particular way in touting her commitment to representing "common sense, conservative values."
"No, I am committed to being fair and impartial and deciding each case as it comes, based upon the facts and the law presented," she said.
Shawn Womack is seeking to succeed retiring state Supreme Court Justice Paul Danielson.
Womack said his conservative voting record in the Legislature won't necessarily translate to his judgments on the Arkansas Supreme Court.
"When I was in the Legislature, I was a policymaker," he told reporters. "I loved every minute of that, but I've hung up the policymaker hat when I ran for judge, and judges are essentially like referees. We make sure everyone plays by the rules. We make sure that the constitution is followed. From that standpoint, judges are not and should not be policymakers."
Metro on 11/03/2015