Hope Hendren Duke of Gravette running for state House

GRAVETTE -- Hope Hendren Duke of Gravette announced Thursday her bid for the Republican nomination for House seat District 12, which includes Gravette, Decatur, Hiwasse, Maysville and parts of Bella Vista in northwestern Benton County.

Incumbent Gayla Hendren McKenzie, R-Gravette, is running for state Senate District 35 to replace Sen. Jim Hendren, I-Sulphur Springs. Duke, McKenzie and Hendren are siblings.

House District 12 covers a smaller area than the one McKenzie represents now, losing territory in the east. The state Board of Apportionment -- consisting of the sitting governor, attorney general and secretary of state -- redraws legislative district boundaries every 10 years after each U.S. census with the goal of equalizing population among districts. McKenzie represents what was District 92, one of the most overpopulated in the state because of growth, 2020 U.S. census figures showed.

The state has 100 House districts. McKenzie holds the House seat for a district with 4,495 more residents than an equal share of 30,115 in population, census figures showed.

Duke, 50, graduated from the University of Arkansas with a bachelor's degree in education, her announcement says. She is serving her sixth year on the Gravette School Board. She is a licensed real estate agent and broker and former middle school teacher, according to her announcement.

Gov. Asa Hutchinson is an uncle of McKenzie, Duke and Hendren. They are the children of former state Sen. Kim Hendren, R-Gravette.

Candidate filing for partisan primaries begins Feb. 22 and ends March 1. Party primaries will be May 24.

House members run for two-year terms. Their base salary is $39,399 a year, not including per diem and expenses.

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