(SEBASTIAN COUNTY) - A special election will take place next month to fill the state senate district 8 seat left vacant by former State Senator Jake Files.
Files pleaded guilty to wire fraud, bank fraud, and money laundering earlier this year.
For this race, Republican Frank Glidewell will face Libertarian Whitfield Hyman on August 14.They are vying to fill the remainder of Files’ term, which only lasts until the end of December of this year.
Glidewell is a former representative. Now retired, he wants to tackle wasteful spending if elected to this position.
“We need to be a little more accountable for the tax paying citizen’s dollar,” Glidewell explained. He wants to do this by examining the planning and development districts in Arkansas. Specifically, an audit of their spending.
Another major focus of his is Obamacare.
“Obamacare is a freight train coming down the track and we are going to have a bad pitfall in the state of Arkansas if the government doesn’t get out of healthcare,” Glidewell said.
Meanwhile, Whitfield Hyman, Glidewell’s opponent, says he aligns with several of his political stances including economic equality.
“My biggest issues are treating everybody the same, from the government standpoint. We shouldn’t have special tax breaks for certain businesses,” Hyman said.
Hyman, 32, a newcomer to politics is a criminal defense attorney with cases in Northwest Arkansas and the River Valley.
In total, he said he spent $50 on his campaign, which he said went toward getting his name on the ballot. And that’s all he plans to spend.
In an interview with 5NEWS, Hyman was candid with his responses and admits he’s a long shot for this position.
“It’s more likely to be struck by lightning than it is that I win this election. OK? But, I’m still here to try, to give people an actual choice because I think that’s important for a democracy,” Hyman said.
In November, Hyman will face Republican Mat Pitsch for the state senate district 8 seat. The winner of that race will represent the district for a full, four-year term.