A Maumelle Democrat announced plans Wednesday to run for the state House seat held by Rep. Mark Lowery, R-Maumelle, citing disagreements with some votes cast by the four-term incumbent.
Kayla Applegate, an attorney, is the first Democrat to launch a campaign in House District 39. The district is based in Maumelle but stretches to include Camp Joseph T. Robinson and parts of North Little Rock.
Lowery, a Republican, defeated Democratic opponents by 9 percentage points in each of his previous two elections. He plans to seek a fifth term.
In an interview shortly after announcing her campaign, Applegate, 32, named legislation on which she disagreed with Lowery's vote during the regular legislative session earlier this year.
Two of the bills were sponsored by Lowery -- House Bills 1726 and 1511 -- that would have opened up opportunities for children to attend private schools with state money. The first bill set up a state fund that would offer scholarships for students who are the victims of bullying or hazing to transfer to private schools, and the second would have made private school students with disabilities eligible for Succeed Scholarships. Such scholarships are only available to public school students with disabilities who want to transfer to private schools.
"These are things that indicate that [Lowery] supports school privatization policies and school vouchers," Applegate said.
"I fully support school choice, especially when it comes to Succeed Scholarships," Lowery said. He also said he was in favor of school voucher programs, not just for students with special needs.
"Families who have means, they have choice. I think it's equity," Lowery said.
The other focal point of Applegate's campaign, she said, would be health care. She said she is a supporter of the state's private-option Medicaid expansion program, which provides health insurance to about 250,000 low-income Arkansans.
Lowery has voted in support of the program in the past.
In addition to expressing disagreement on several issues that split Republicans and Democrats this session -- a high-income tax cut and proposed exemptions to the voter-approved minimum wage law -- Applegate also criticized Lowery for not supporting House Bill 1410, a "warranty of habitability" law that would have set minimum standards for rental housing.
Arkansas is the only state in the nation without such a law. The Republican-sponsored bill fell by a single vote in the House Insurance and Commerce Committee, which Lowery chairs.
"If he had voted, it could have gotten out of committee," Applegate said.
Lowery said he couldn't recall if he voted for the bill -- committee chairmen often do not vote -- but said he did not support the final version, which had been watered down to appease some objections by landlords. Lowery did not support the original version of the bill either, he said. As chairman, he said he made sure the bill "got a fair hearing."
"I didn't feel like there was enough protections for landlords" to recover damages from tenants, Lowery said.
Lowery said if he wins re-election in 2020, it will be his final term. The 62-year-old said his leadership -- he is a committee chairman and 14th in House seniority -- should be considered by voters.
The next regular session of the Legislature will be in 2021. Lowery said he wants to look at legislation to limit how much money school districts can keep in savings, rather than spending, if he is re-elected next year. (The Legislature also will hold a fiscal session to consider appropriations bills in the spring of 2020.)
Metro on 09/21/2019