Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders formally certified a vacancy in Arkansas House District 70 after Carlton Wing, R-North Little Rock, submitted his letter of resignation to take on the role of executive director of Arkansas PBS.
The Democratic Party of Arkansas voted unanimously to hold a primary election for the House District 70 special election, the party announced in a release. District 70 includes portions of North Little Rock and Sherwood.
“Given that Democrats have overperformed by 18 percent in special elections since Trump took office, we feel confident that we can deliver another seat for Democrats in our state House,” said Marcus Jones, Democratic Party of Arkansas chairman.
The Republican Party of Arkansas has yet to make an announcement about whether it prefers an election or a convention of delegates to select its nominee.
Three have announced their candidacies for the seat. Bo Renshaw, a business owner and physical therapist, is seeking the Republican nomination. Cordelia Smith-Johnson and Alex Holladay have announced their candidacy for the Democratic nomination. Smith-Johnson is a U.S. Air Force veteran and prevention coordinator for the Arkansas Army National Guard. Holladay narrowly lost the 2024 general election to Wing and is a health care professional.
Jones said that District 70 was the “most closely contested” House race in the 2024 general election, with Wing defeating Holladay by only 286 votes.
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