The state's Medicaid expansion, national Common Core education standards and the debate over whether people can openly carry weapons are areas of disagreement for the two Hot Springs Republicans battling to win the District 25 primary.
The House seat is held by Democrat John Vines of Hot Springs, who said he won't seek re-election because he wants to spend more time on his law practice and with his family.
One of the candidates seeking to replace Vines is Les Warren, president of Hot Springs Title Co. Warren is a former president of the Lakeside School Board, a member of the Greater Hot Springs Education Council and a deacon at First Baptist Church in Hot Springs.
The other candidate is Richard Midkiff, a Navy veteran who is in the U.S. Army Reserve and who works part time at Evans & Associates construction company in Bryant.
The winner of the March 1 primary will face Jerry Rephan, who is unopposed in the Democratic primary.
Warren said working with children for decades has led him to want to expand pre-kindergarten education and infuse job skills into high school education.
"I've had several leadership roles that have put me in touch for a lot of our community," the 57-year-old said. "I want to put my skills to use. This is, for me, it's a God call."
Warren served as Vines' campaign manager in the two previous elections but said he has always been a Republican.
Warren holds an undergraduate degree in banking and finance and a master's degree in business administration from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.
Midkiff said serving in the military has taught him how to listen and take action. The military also allowed Midkiff to visit numerous places, which he said gives him a broader perspective on Hot Springs' issues.
"The first thing the military teaches you is how to be a good follower, and in the process you become a good leader," the 49-year-old said.
If elected, Midkiff said, he would focus on reducing crime rates in the state and protecting the elderly from abuse.
He studied political science at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and is working on a master's degree in criminal justice and public administration.
The candidates differ when it comes to the private option, which increased the number of people who qualify for Medicaid.
Midkiff said he opposes it but does not have a replacement in mind. He said Democrats and Republicans should work together to replace it.
"I tell people, it's a good thing that more Arkansans have health insurance, but the working man is footing the bill," Midkiff said. "I think Arkansas should repeal the private option and replace it with something where the working man does not have to foot the bill."
Warren said he is undecided on the private option and needs more information to make a decision.
"Of course, I want people to have insurance," Warren said. "But I am tired of people getting something for free if they don't want to work. I'm tired of handouts."
Under the private option, the state uses federal Medicaid dollars to purchase private health insurance for low-income Arkansans. More than 180,000 Arkansans have health insurance through the private option, according to the state Department of Human Services.
In 2013, the state's Medicaid expansion was approved by the Republican-controlled Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Mike Beebe, a Democrat.
In 2017, the federal waiver authorizing the private option expires and Arkansas will begin paying a portion of the program's cost. The state's share will start at 5 percent and rise each year until 2020, when it reaches 10 percent -- an estimated $173 million.
Gov. Asa Hutchinson has vowed to continue the Medicaid expansion with some tweaks, including referring unemployed enrollees to job programs and finding ways to reduce the state expenditure on Medicaid by at least $50 million a year.
The District 25 candidates also differ on whether people should be allowed to openly carry guns.
"The Second Amendment is there and we need to make sure everyone has the right to bear arms," Warren said.
But openly carrying weapons is "not a good idea," he said.
"I think we would have some people getting fearful and there being unrest in public," Warren said. "If you're going to carry, go ahead and carry, but keep it concealed."
Midkiff said he is a supporter of openly carrying weapons, which he called "constitutional carry."
The Second Amendment reads: "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."
Warren supports Common Core standards, saying there's a lot of inaccurate information about what the standards require. Midkiff said there should be more local control when it comes to education standards.
Warren and Midkiff said they did not oppose raising taxes as a last resort to pay for highway improvements.
"All I know is we have a lot of work to do," Warren said. "There's a huge need for road repairs."
Midkiff said not all taxes are bad. He referred to a temporary Hot Springs tax, passed in a referendum to build a new jail, as an example.
"The main thing about the tax was it was proposed and [voters] approved it," he said. "The people have spoken and that's what they wanted."
Hutchinson proposed a highway plan in January that called for redirecting existing revenue and using surplus funds to improve highways. The plan does not call for new taxes.
Midkiff has raised about $650 for his campaign so far. Warren has raised more than $20,000.
"I do have a ton of friends -- but most of them are the blue-collar working class," Midkiff said. "I'm not going to ask them for money."
Metro on 02/01/2016