After an unprecedented day of candidate filings at the state Capitol on Tuesday, the secretary of state's office used Wednesday to catch up and record new filings as winter weather affected the second day of the filing period.
Roughly 30 candidates filed for state and federal offices Wednesday, a number that pales in comparison with the 283 who filed on the opening day.
"You couldn't have predicted that," Arkansas secretary of state spokesman Kevin Niehaus said of the number of filings Tuesday.
Niehaus said it took until Wednesday afternoon to update the secretary of state's website with all of Tuesday's filings.
"If it was a normal number that we usually get, we would have been fine, but that was something that we hadn't seen before," he said.
The filing period runs through Tuesday. Candidates must pay their political party's filing fee and fill out the required paperwork with the secretary of state's office within the six-day filing period to appear on the ballot in this year's elections.
The opening day of the filing period is usually the most active, but this year's number far exceeded the average count. For comparison, 136 candidates filed on opening day in 2014, 165 filed in 2018 and 126 filed in 2010, the last time redistricting occurred in the state.
Niehaus said staff knew around 2:30 p.m. Tuesday they weren't going to be able to keep up with the number of filings.
"Usually around 2:30 it is pretty empty, but this time when 2:30 rolled around and it was still packed, we knew," he said.
Niehaus said redistricting probably played a part in the large turnout.
"Usually a few seats come open, but with redistricting all of them did and some of the seats have four or five people running for a one seat," he said.
Bentonville City Council member Aubrey Patterson, a Republican, is running for the Arkansas House of Representatives in newly created District 13 and faces a number of challengers for the open seat.
"I am going against three Republicans and one Democrat," she said at her filing Wednesday morning. "So it's going to be a battle."
CONSTITUTIONAL OFFICES
The second day of filing didn't have the pomp and circumstance of opening day, but that didn't stop candidates.
Retired Navy chaplain Steven Unger of Springdale was the first to file Wednesday morning. Unger, a Republican, is running for the House District 19 seat.
"I was originally planning to drive down this morning, but I saw the forecast and decided to get here earlier," he said. "Pragmatically, I didn't know this place that well either so I didn't know if I needed to get here an hour early due to parking. I am a former Navy man, so waking up early isn't a problem for me."
Inclement weather has affected filing plans for several candidates, with some moving up their timetable and others delaying until a later date.
"I kind of enjoyed filing today because it was less crowded," Patterson said. "The weather is kind of crazy right now, so we are staying here [in Little Rock] tonight, but it was worth it to file."
Niehaus said the secretary of state's office is statutorily obligated to be available for candidates to file during the filing period, and no matter the weather they will be at the Capitol this morning.
Lt. Gov. Tim Griffin, who is running for attorney general's office, didn't let the weather stop him from filing Wednesday. The Republican spoke about his priorities, which he said include pushing back against federal overreach, standing by law enforcement and reforming the criminal justice system.
Griffin said he wants to stand "shoulder to shoulder" with law enforcement because he believes they have been under attack over the past several years and that such attacks have discouraged people from applying for the force.
"It has also enabled and encouraged criminals," he said.
Griffin said his criminal justice reform plans include taking a hard look at the parole system, prison capacity and sentencing. He said the way sentencing and parole currently works can be considered deceptive because the sentence a person receives usually isn't close to the time they spend in prison.
"The current parole system is a failure," he said. "It is allowing people to walk the streets who shouldn't be out of prison."
Griffin said experience separates him from his opponent, Democratic candidate Jesse Gibson. Griffin said his time in the military, as a federal prosecutor and as a congressman has prepared him to be attorney general.
"I have the experience to do the job," he said. "I have the background to do the job. I am a proven conservative ... and I have a conservative record."
Gibson, who filed Tuesday, said Wednesday afternoon that his experience building a successful law practice as well as his trial and courtroom experience set him apart.
"I think there's going to be some pretty clear contrasts in this race," he said. "I'm not a career politician. I'm not a bureaucrat. I'm not someone who's relied solely on government for their career."
Gibson, of Little Rock, said that while the attorney general's race is partisan, the proper application of the office is nonpartisan.
"The obligation should be to the rule of law," he said. "It's not something where you're going to apply the law differently based on someone's political affiliation."
Gibson said he is interested in creating a civil-rights division in the attorney general's office to act as a watchdog for civil-rights violations.
Asked about Gov. Asa Hutchinson's recent announcement of his support for using between $60 million and $100 million in surplus funds to create space for about 49 more prison beds at the North Central Unit at Calico Rock, Gibson said the expansion was "unfortunately necessary at this point."
"I know even here in Little Rock there's long been overcrowding issues in the Department of Corrections, even down to the county level," he said. "I think it's a necessity at this point to make sure that people who are violent offenders, people who have violent sentences, are not paroled early."
Wednesday's filings also included state Rep. Mark Lowery, R-Maumelle, who seeks his party's nomination for treasurer.
Lowery initially launched a campaign for secretary of state before switching races in January. He touted his two terms as chairman of the House Insurance and Commerce Committee and his fiscal conservatism.
"I believe that I'm the conservative choice when it comes to voting on tax issues," he said.
While the treasurer doesn't have a vote in the Legislature on tax policy, Lowery said the person holding the office should use the position as a bully pulpit to talk to the people about the issue.
The other publicly announced candidate for treasurer is state Sen. Mat Pitsch, R-Fort Smith, who filed Tuesday. Pitsch is chairman of the Senate Insurance and Commerce Committee.
Pitsch said Wednesday that he has degrees in engineering and management with an emphasis in business and finance, as well as a lot of trust from his colleagues as a former House majority leader.
Pitsch said that while Lowery has "a lot of passion for certain policies," state treasurer is a nonpartisan job.
"I just think the voters really need to look at financial proven track record, and I'm pretty happy with putting mine up against this opponent," Pitsch said.
JUDICIAL CANDIDATES
Second-day filings for judicial candidates included Supreme Court Justice Rhonda Wood, who said she had planned to file Wednesday even before the weather became a factor.
Wood, of Conway, has served as an associate justice in Position 7 on the Supreme Court since 2015. She was elected in 2014.
Woods currently doesn't have an opponent, but she is still canvassing as if there were a candidate vying for the seat she holds.
"I don't take anything for granted," she said. "I have canvassed Arkansas because voters deserve to hear from me about my job."
Wood said voters should look at her consistency when it comes to decisions made from the bench, and said public confidence in the judiciary system has never been more important in the current political climate.
"I let the constitution be my guide," she said. "I have made tough decisions under immense pressure and have a proven track record."
Information for this article was contributed by Rachel Herzog of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.