ARKANSAS, USA — Arkansas voters in parts of Sebastian, Benton, Washington, Madison, and Crawford counties will decide which Republican candidate will advance to the general election for the 3rd Congressional District seat on March 5.
Arkansans in District 3 will have the decision between incumbent Rep. Steve Womack or state Sen. Clint Penzo.
Womack, who has served in the U.S. Congress since 2011, told 5NEWS that he will be running on his record in his race against Sen. Penzo.
"I think my background and experience lends itself to another term," Womack said. "I am making my case. I'm not going to spend all my time trying to be critical of my opponent like my opponent is. I'm going to make the case for Steve Womack, and I think that should be sufficient."
Before becoming a congressman, Womack served as the mayor of Rogers for 12 years, where he says he led the vision and transformation from "a bedroom community to a very dynamic and progressive city in Northwest Arkansas." In 2009, Womack retired from the Arkansas Army National Guard where he served as a colonel. He is an alumnus of Arkansas Tech University.
After being elected against seven opponents in the 2010 primary election, Womack took office in 2011. Since his election, he is now a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee, where he serves as the chairman of the Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee. He also sits on the Defense and Transportation and Housing and Urban Development Subcommittees.
"I think when you look at the body of my work, the totality of my work as a member of Congress, that's the case I make to the discerning voters as to why they should give me two more years in this next term to continue to perform at that level," Womack said.
What do you think you have accomplished as a U.S. representative over the last decade?
"I think I have brought a sense of practical and rational discussion on some of America's toughest issues, more challenging issues," he said. "As an appropriator, I have tried my best to shape the appropriations process and do it through regular order, though not terribly successful as a body but from my standpoint, trying to promote regular order the way our framers designed the process to work."
Womack said he has used his background as a former mayor and colonel in the military to represent the 3rd congressional district "with the highest levels of integrity and performance," by looking for ways to benefit the district through funding key infrastructure growth.
In his efforts to benefit the district, Womack says he has never missed a vote.
"I have voted consistently for every single issue that's ever come before the House since 2011," he said. "I have now recorded in excess of 8,000 consecutive votes. I consider myself to be one of the most transparent members of Congress because I've never missed one. And when you look at the record of Congress over these last 13 and a half years, there have been a lot of things that we've had to vote on. And having never missed one I think it's pretty obvious that if any discerning voter wants to know how I feel about a given subject, there's at least a vote or two or dozens along those agenda items that I have a record on."
Womack said he also previously served as the Budget Committee chair in 2018, making him the "first Arkansas House member to chair a standing committee in Congress since the demise of Wilbur Mills on the Ways and Means Committee."
In his different roles in Congress, Womack says he was able to "advocate for some of the GOP's most important matters, whether it's committee assignments or the champion of certain legislation."
"I think I have made a long and valuable contribution to Congress in the 13 and a half years that I've been there," Womack said.
What do you think you haven’t been able to address in previous terms that you’d be able to in this next one?
"If you try to be a subject matter expert on every issue facing our country, you're going to find yourself spread so fast, you'd be ineffective on any of them," Womack said. "So what I've tried to do is I've tried to be a leading voice on budget process reform so that we can once and for all begin the public discourse on the true drivers of our deficit in debt."
In his next term, Womack said he would focus on the debt deficit by focusing on appropriations and fixing the "broken budget process."
"I've been a strong advocate for budget process reform, leading the Joint Select Committee back in 2018. And that work is unfinished right now," he said. "I'm a senior appropriator, so I have had a hand in the discretionary budget of our Congress and trying to make sure that the money we're spending on the agencies that serve our federal bureaucracy is done so with proper oversight and at the appropriate levels."
National security is another main focus for Womack's potential next term.
"I also use my background as a retired colonel with 30 years of service in uniform to advocate for matters of national defense and national security. That is not only a constitutional imperative, but growing more and more complicated over time, given the emerging threats around the globe."
Not only does Womack focus on the bigger, U.S.-centered issues, but he also says he is working for his constituents.
"We spend so much time in these political debates talking about votes and while votes are very important, I think a lot of times what's overlooked is the fact that members of Congress have a responsibility to take care of their constituents at the same time," he said, "And, last year, in 2023, as an example, my hand-picked, competent staff closed over 1,000 constituent cases of people that had issues with the federal bureaucracy. And that goes overlooked a lot of times."
How do you think you would continue to represent Arkansas’ 3rd Congressional District in Washington? What district-specific problems do you seek to solve?
"Every district is going to be different. In my district, advocating for and bringing dollars home that the federal government's going to spend on critical infrastructure is very important."
He says he is focused on the "less sexy matters" like water resources and relocating Highway 412 in Northwest Arkansas.
"All of these things are important to the economic well-being of my district. And so I spend a lot of time engaged with my mayors, my county judges, [and] chambers of commerce, understanding what the major issues are facing our local communities, our counties, our cities, in the rural areas with regard to whether or not a federal partnership is going to be necessary," Womack said. "And, in many cases, these communities do not have the capacity to deal with some of these issues by themselves and require a federal partner. I try to advocate for those kinds of programs and I think we've been very successful in helping address some of our local communities of these needs."
Have constituents brought any other problems to your attention while you've been campaigning?
"Every day. Everybody needs help," he said. "And so what you have to do is you have to kind of consider whether or not it is a need that requires involvement by the federal government and not all do. Then you have to be able to triage those for the best return on that investment. And in realizing that if you're not out here advocating for your very own district needs, then the dollars that might be available to some of those needs are going to be swept up by other districts in other parts of the country. I want an equitable share of the federal dollars that are going to be spent on these kinds of issues. I want my share of those in Arkansas' 3rd District."
I-49, the McClellan–Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System (MKARNS), and the Northwest Arkansas National Airport (XNA) are all projects that Womack has his sights set on. He also wants to expand federal partnerships for research and development done at the University of Arkansas.
Womack also says he is focused on meeting the needs of smaller communities like improving an industrial road in Mulberry and bringing in funding for a sewer project in Gravette.
One project Womack has accomplished is the F-35 Mission in Fort Smith.
"The foreign military sales component for the F-35 program where we will be training allied pilots, people from friendly countries that are going to be training on our fifth-generation aircraft," he said. "That has been a labor of love for me trying to advocate [and] winning that program first of all against four other communities competing for it around the country and then advocating for the dollars necessary to be able to build it out in a timely fashion and bring this thing to fruition. So all of these things that I do as a member of Congress, because it benefits my district, it helps my state, and it also benefits the country as a whole."
At face value, it seems like you and your political opponent plan to focus on similar issues like immigration, maintaining the ‘sanctity of life,’ and supporting veterans. What do you think sets you apart?
"Well, first of all, I have a background in it. And I have a record on it," Womack said.
Womack shared that he has voted for border wall funding, asylum reform, Secure the Border Act of 2023 (H.R.2), and the Remain in Mexico policy.
"I have a record on it. And it's a sterling record that lends itself to people who believe as I do that illegal immigration is hurting America," he said. "I'm the only candidate in this race ... who actually has done something about it and has a voting record to prove it. My opponent has been in the state House. He really doesn't have anything to say about immigration because it hasn't been anything that the state of Arkansas has really had much to do with."
Again, Womack says he will let his background and experience speak for itself in this race.
"My opponent has no background, zero background, in matters of national security, yet it is one of the most important if not the most important thing that Congress will do," he said. "And I am a 30-year veteran. So where it concerns matters of Veteran Services or the prosecution of national security [and] national defense, I'm the only guy in this race that has any background on that."
"I'm a senior appropriator. I have a relationship with the highest levels of our military enterprise. And I work very carefully to ensure that our men and women in uniform are properly funded, properly trained, and properly equipped to deal with the matters that are emerging around the globe," Womack said. "So I think there are some stark differences between what I bring to the table and what my opponent does."
In a political ad sent to voters, Penzo claims that you vote against “conservative values” such as funding Planned Parenthood. Do you have a response to that?
Womack says Penzo's claims are "incorrect" and "untruthful."
"What my opponent is not telling you is that I'm endorsed by the National Right to Life Committee," Womack said. "Now, as it relates to Planned Parenthood, it might surprise the discerning public to know there is no line item in the federal budget for Planned Parenthood. They get funding from grants just like everybody else."
As of Feb. 15, Womack has been endorsed by the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC).
"What my opponent is not telling you is that there is no line item in the federal budget for Planned Parenthood," Womack said. "So for him to say that I voted for Planned Parenthood, I think is an incorrect and untruthful statement. I do vote for matters of appropriations that fund the federal bureaucracies. And I will tell you, if we're going to fix the issues regarding Planned Parenthood, then we'll have to do that by winning elections, and not necessarily through the appropriations process. Because in order to be able to limit what grants go out to various agencies, is going to be a matter for the administration to handle and not necessarily for what the appropriators are doing."
Along with the NRLC, Womack also said he has been endorsed by the Arkansas Right to Life.
"I would say that those agencies are quite pleased with the work I've done on those subjects," he said.
Do you have any other endorsements thus far?
According to Womack's X account, formerly known as Twitter, he has been endorsed by several political figures in Arkansas:
- Gov. Sarah Huckabee-Sanders
- Rogers Mayor Greg Hines
- Springdale Mayor Doug Sprouse
- Van Buren Mayor Joe Hurst
- Bella Vista Mayor John Flynn
- Little Flock Mayor John Van Sickler
- Pea Ridge Mayor Nathan See
- Mulberry Mayor Gary Baxter
- Greenwood Mayor Doug Kinslow
- Prairie Grove Mayor David Faulk
- Farmington Mayor Ernie L. Penn
- Huntsville Mayor Travis Dotson
- Alma Mayor Jim Fincher
- Benton County Judge Barry Moehring
- Sebastian County Judge Steve Hotz
- State Rep. Delia Haak
- State Rep. Charlene Fite
- Arkansas Highway Commissioner Keith Gibson
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson has also endorsed Womack.
"I've been endorsed by the governor of Arkansas. I've been endorsed by both of our senators. So Gov. Sanders, Sen. Cotton, and Sen. Boozman all endorsed me. I've been endorsed by the Speaker of the House. I've been endorsed by the House majority leader who by the way, will be a guest in my home tonight. I have been endorsed by a whole host of mayors, county judges, and other officials vital to the economic well-being of our area and of my district ... Obviously, those individuals feel like I've got a lot more to offer and have supported my candidacy," he said.
5NEWS reached out to Penzo for an interview and made plans to respond to our questions over email. We haven't heard back at the time of publication.
Early voting is now open for the primaries. For early voting polling places, click here.
This year's primary Election Day will be March 5, 2024. For more information on voting in Arkansas, click here.
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