Northwest Arkansas’ Kelly Krout officially announced she is running for Arkansas Lieutenant Governor at a press conference in Little Rock this afternoon.
A modest, but enthusiastic crowd gathered at Crump Park Thursday afternoon to witness Krout’s official announcement. The venue- a cheerful family park- was fitting for the candidate.
Krout is a Russellville native who currently resides in Lowell, a small town between Fayetteville and Bentonville in Washington County. She is a wife, mother, children’s book author and graduate student in social work.
So, it should come as no surprise that she has made family empowerment the platform for her campaign.
“Families are swimming upstream,” she said, in regard to the lack of adequate support for systems designed to help children and families in Arkansas. As a foster and adoptive parent, Krout is particularly concerned with mounting problems within the state’s foster care system. “DHS is underfunded and understaffed.” She says she will be an advocate for those systems, and will work to get them the attention they deserve.
Krout is the first (and as of now, only) Democratic candidate on the ballot for lieutenant governor in Arkansas. There are currently five Republican nominees for the position. The primary election will take place in May 2022.
“I keep saying over and over again: I won’t stop fighting for my family, or yours. I sincerely care about folks. And I sincerely care about my state. And I think we can do a lot better.”