LINCOLN — Lincoln School Board member Kendra Moore announced her Republican primary bid to become the first state House member for the new District 23 in western Washington County.
She is the first candidate to announce for the seat, which the state Board of Apportionment created Monday. The board redraws legislative district boundaries every 10 years, with the goal of equalizing population between districts. Washington County gained population while most other counties lost people, resulting in the creation of District 23.
The board consists of the sitting governor, attorney general and secretary of state.
“People think the streets of Northwest Arkansas are paved with gold, but this is a rural area with a lot of poverty,” Moore said of District 23 on Tuesday at a campaign launch event in Lincoln. “There’s so much opportunity here. Now we have a chance to have this area and its interests represented.” She pointed to the growing population that created the district as a sign of its potential.
Moore, 44, has served on the School Board since 2010 and is its secretary/treasurer, according to the district’s website. She is a lifelong resident of Lincoln, she said.
“ Th e p e o pl e of we s t Washington County live out the definition of community every day through hard work in agricultural business, small business owners, raising families and supporting our school systems,” Moore said in her announcement.
She has a marketing degree from the University of Arkansas and a master’s degree in business administration from John Brown University, she said.
She owns and operates Redeemed Construction & Renovation, which primarily focuses on remodeling and building homes in the Lincoln and Prairie Grove areas. Her business includes commercial development, specifically in the revitalization of the square in Lincoln. Moore and her husband also raise beef cattle on their farm in Lincoln.
House members run for two-year terms. Their base salary is $39,399 a year, not including per diem and expenses.
Candidate filing for partisan primaries begins Feb. 22 and ends March 1. Party primaries are set for May 24.