Beebe Republican seeks seat

Wooten to run for position House speaker will vacate

Beebe Republican Jim Wooten said Wednesday that he is seeking election next year to the House District 45 seat held by departing House Speaker Jeremy Gillam, R-Judsonia.

Gillam, who has served in the House of Representatives since 2011, has said he's not seeking re-election. He also said he's also ruled out a bid for secretary of state next year.

House District 45 includes Bald Knob, Beebe, Garner, Higginson, Judsonia and McRae and parts of rural White County.

For the 2018 election, the filing period for state and federal offices will be Feb. 22-March 1. The primary will be May 22 and the general election will be Nov. 6, 2018.

Wooten, who described himself as a conservative Republican, is the first candidate to announce his candidacy for the House seat held by Gillam. Gillam said he's supporting Wooten to be his successor and said Wooten would do "a great job" in the House.

"I want to use the experience I gained building a company to help our state become more efficient, better at budgeting, and less intrusive on our everyday lives," Wooten said in a news release. "We need to ignore the distractions and put our focus back on real issues, like providing a quality education for our children, increasing economic development opportunities, and lowering the cost of health insurance.

"I'm a conservative who wants to protect life, defend gun rights, stop government growth, and invest in infrastructure that leads to job creation," Wooten added.

Wooten, 76, is the founder and previous owner of Tiger Mart Inc., a chain of convenience stores and truck centers located across the state. He previously served stints as director of the state Department of Commerce and director of the state Department of Finance and Administration under then-Gov. David Pryor, a Democrat. Wooten also served as a state trooper and a spokesman for the Arkansas State Police.

He is the president of the Arkansas Good Roads Foundation and a board member for Economics Arkansas. He also is chairman of the Beebe Public Education Foundation and the Police Employee Foundation.

Wooten said he would probably resign as president of the Arkansas Good Roads Foundation if he's elected to the Legislature. He said he wants voters to be given a chance to vote on a plan to finance highway improvements.

"We need to address it up or down," he said.

Wooten said he opposes abortion and he hopes that women who become pregnant through rape or incest seek adoption as an alternative to an abortion. Asked if he opposes abortion in cases in which the life of the mother is at risk, he said that's a medical question that he doesn't feel comfortable commenting on, and that's "an individual situation that each person would have to address."

Metro on 10/09/2017

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