A south Arkansas Republican claims local party officials are trying to sabotage his campaign for the District 9 House of Representatives seat by refusing to run a candidate in a special election for the same seat.
The special election was called after the death of Democratic Rep. Sheilla Lampkin, D-Monticello. The special election will be held the same day as the Nov. 8 general election. Democrats will choose their nominee for both elections today. The winner of the special election will serve the remainder of the term -- about two months -- before the next General Assembly is sworn in in January.
Jim Hall of Monticello, who will be on the general election ballot after winning the March Republican primary for the seat, said Wednesday that he believes the Republican chairmen of the district's two counties are working with his former mother-in-law to block him from winning the special election. The chairmen of both county committees could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
Hall said his feud with his former mother-in-law, Mary Maloney of Monticello, led to her arrest in February 2015 on a charge of criminal solicitation to commit capital murder. The charge was dropped six days later after the 10th Judicial Circuit's prosecutor's office determined that she withdrew her offer to have Hall killed.
"She was not prosecuted due to the defense of renunciation," Prosecuting Attorney Thomas Deen of Monticello said.
Both Maloney and the state Republican Party denied Hall's accusations regarding the special election.
The Republican committees of Drew and Ashley counties on Wednesday announced the decision not to enter a candidate in the special election. The announcement was made in a post on the Monticello Live website and it offered condolences to Lampkin's family.
A spokesman for the Republican Party of Arkansas said the decision on the special election was made by local party officials because of the limited amount of the time the winner would serve.
"They don't see the necessity of having a convention or nominating someone because it is a waste of tax dollars," state party spokesman Lauren Montgomery said. She said the decision had nothing to do with Hall.
In an open letter to Arkansas Republican Party Chairman Doyle Webb posted to Hall's campaign Facebook page Wednesday, Hall requested that the party hold a delegate vote at its state convention Saturday to make Hall the party's nominee for the special election.
"I may not be who they want, but I'm the only chance on the Republican side," Hall said. "I can convince them that I am the candidate they want."
Asked what evidence he had for his allegation that Maloney is working against him, Hall said he had seen her at local GOP events.
Reached by phone Wednesday, Maloney denied having anything to do with his House race.
"The Republican Party doesn't want anything to do with him and I'm not even a Republican," Maloney said.
When asked about her arrest, Maloney hung up the phone.
The House District 9 seat became vacant when Lampkin, a three-term Democratic state representative from Monticello, died July 23 of ovarian cancer.
Democrats in Ashley and Drew counties will hold their convention today to select a nominee to run for both the general and special election for the House seat, state Democratic Party spokesman H.L. Moody said. Several candidates have expressed interest.
Metro on 08/04/2016