Magnolia City Councilman Steve Crowell announced this week that he will challenge state Sen. Charles Beckham of McNeil in this year's Republican primary election.
Also, Wes Booker announced his plan to run in House District 71 in Pulaski County, a seat that Brandon Achor said last month he is seeking. Booker and Achor are Republicans from Maumelle.
These are the latest announcements for legislative seats with the filing period for office set to begin at noon Feb. 22 and end at noon March 1.
The primary election is May 24. The general election is Nov. 8.
Beckham and Crowell would be vying for Senate District 3, which includes Clark, Columbia, Lafayette and Nevada counties and portions of Hempstead, Hot Spring and Pike counties.
[RELATED: See complete Democrat-Gazette coverage of the Arkansas Legislature at arkansasonline.com/legislature]
Crowell said Tuesday in a news release, "I'm running for State Senate because I believe our district deserves a Senator who will listen to what's going on in our communities and who will work to solve the real issues in front of us.
"Too many politicians are letting their egos and political rhetoric get in the way of real progress. When that happens, Arkansan's suffer," he said.
Crowell said his top priorities would include fighting for the agriculture industry, creating more economic development in the region and addressing the mental health crisis "we are seeing across the country.
"I believe we will see more economic growth and better paying jobs in South Arkansas when we start improving educational opportunity for students, provide true workforce and skills training for workers, invest in the right infrastructure and roads, and continue lowering the average persons tax burden," he said.
Crowell owns a company that rents and builds houses, and owns and harvests timber. He also is head coach of the trap shooting team at Southern Arkansas University in Magnolia. He has served on the Magnolia City Council since 2015.
On Tuesday, Beckham, a propane distribution company owner, announced his bid for reelection this year in Senate District 3.
"When I first announced for state Senate over two years ago I promised to be a senator in Little Rock that would fight for limited government, less regulations on Arkansas businesses, lowering our tax burden, and advancing our shared Christian conservative values," Beckham said.
"I have kept ALL of those promises," he said in a news release.
"My record as your Republican State Senator is one that is 100% Pro-life, I have opposed any encroachment on the Second Amendment, protected our religious liberties, defended Arkansas family values, and fought against the federal overreach and mandates of the Biden administration," Beckham said in his news release.
He said he was the lead sponsor of Act 949 of 2021 that prohibits abortions in hospitals except to save the life of the mother in a medical emergency and strengthens the licensing requirements for abortion facilities. He also said he sponsored Act 609 of 2021 that creates felony offenses for fraud and abuse in fertility treatments, and helped secure more than $11 million in broadband funding for south Arkansas.
In the 2020 general election, Beckham defeated Democratic state Sen. Bruce Maloch of Magnolia, who had been in the House from 2005-11 and then the Senate from 2013-21.
Before the election, six former classmates of Beckham signed a full-page ad in the Magnolia Banner-News opposing his candidacy, referring to an incident at the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science in which Beckham dressed in Ku Klux Klan regalia.
Beckham was dismissed from the school in 2000 after he and two friends dressed up as klansmen during a school-sponsored Halloween event, according to court records obtained by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
When asked by the Democrat-Gazette about the allegations before the election in 2020, Beckham initially denied them before admitting to "mistakes" when confronted with court records that corroborated his former classmates' recollections.
"I do sincerely apologize for any angst or grievances that I have caused anyone as a minor, as that is not the man that I am today," Beckham said in an emailed statement at that time. "I continue to unequivocally denounce the KKK and any like minded hate groups and the rumors that I am or have ever been part of the KKK are absolutely ridiculous."
HOUSE DISTRICT 71
Booker, a longtime college football official, announced his Republican bid for House District 71 on Tuesday.
"I know a foul when I see one, and let's just say that if our State Capitol was a football field it would be littered with yellow flags," Booker said in a news release. "Taxes are too high. Regulations are too burdensome. And our families and small businesses are suffering as a result."
Booker believes in opposing abortion, defending the Second Amendment and parents' rights in education, according to the release.
The district covers most of Maumelle and is bordered to the south by the Arkansas River and Crystal Hill Road. The district does not have an incumbent; it covers much of the area Rep. Mark Lowery, R-Maumelle, currently represents, though he was drawn into an adjacent district. Lowery was running for secretary of state but announced Tuesday that he would depart the race and make a statement about his plans Friday.
Booker joins Achor, a pharmacist, in the House District 71 race.
In a written statement Tuesday, Achor said he welcomed Booker to the race and is encouraged by his interest in public service.
"As a lifelong resident of Maumelle for over 30 years, a local small-business owner, and having served as a community resource for health care and counsel during unprecedented times, I know this area," he said.