A second Republican announced this week that he'll challenge former Rep. Mickey Gates, R-Hot Springs, for the state House District 22 seat, just days after Gates was expelled from the Arkansas House of Representatives.
Garland County Justice of the Peace Richard McGrew said he decided to seek the Republican nomination for the seat covering part of Garland and Saline counties after it became clear that the seat would be vacant.
Gates, a three-term legislator, was kicked out of the House on Friday after 88 state representatives voted to remove him for pleading no contest to a felony charge that he failed to pay state income taxes.
Gates has remained adamant that his no-contest plea should not be disqualifying, and he plans to run for the seat once again in 2020. In addition to Gates and McGrew, Don Pierce, a Lakeside High School administrator, plans to run for the GOP nomination for House District 22. No Democrats have publicly announced plans to run for the seat.
McGrew, 62, is a retired electrician and businessman from Hot Springs. McGrew, in an interview on Tuesday, said he didn't plan to attack Gates over his ouster, instead opting to focus on his own business background.
"The experience and knowledge that comes with dealing with contracts, regulations, managing people and payroll, I think, is experience I have that no one else running for this office has right now," McGrew said.
The 2020 primary will be March 3, but both McGrew and Pierce said they plan to run in the special election to fill the remainder of Gates' current term -- through the end of 2020 -- once Gov. Asa Hutchinson calls for it.
McGrew started McGrew Electric with his wife in 1988, and he said it grew to a staff of about 30 employees with projects around the state. McGrew eventually formed McGrew Companies composed of five corporations, and he remains involved, though mostly retired from the day-to-day operations, in McGrew Properties, a real-estate holding and rental company.
McGrew is in his first term on the Garland County Quorum Court, and he spent eight years on the Hot Springs Planning Commission.
McGrew said his business experience gave him insights into government regulations. Many, he said, are necessary, but some are simply "red tape that makes costs rise exponentially."
In addition to withholding criticism of Gates' tax troubles, McGrew also said he had no critiques of Gates' legislative record, saying he didn't follow Gates' action in the Legislature.
He said he opposes abortion except in cases of rape or when the mother's life is in danger.
He said he wanted to study Arkansas Works -- the state's Medicaid expansion program that provides health insurance to about 250,000 Arkansans -- before commenting on the program.
McGrew also said he didn't have any position on Tuesday on school-choice issues, like private school voucher programs. Gates has been one of the loudest proponents of school-choice policies in the Arkansas Legislature. Pierce opposes voucher programs, which allow students to use public-school dollars to pay tuition at private schools.
McGrew emphasized that he has seen a business from the ground up and understands the struggles of small business.
"It'd be an honor to serve the constituents in my district," he said. "I will work extremely hard."
The party filing period will be from noon Nov. 4 until noon Nov. 12. Next year's primary will be March 3, and the general election will be Nov. 3.
State lawmakers are paid $41,393 a year in salary, while the House speaker and Senate president pro tempore make $47,277 a year. In addition, legislators are paid per diem and mileage for attending legislative meetings.
Metro on 10/16/2019