WASHINGTON COUNTY, ARKANSAS, Ark. — Political newbie Vladimir Lopez is celebrating this week after taking a presumptive win and even flipping a seat on Election Day, potentially becoming the first Generation Z justice of the peace in Washington County.
On Nov. 5, unofficial results from Washington County showed that Lopez got 50.25% (1,125) of the vote while opponent Bill Ussery got 49.75% (1,114).
With just 11 votes between Lopez, a Democrat, and Ussery, a Republican, the race for District 4's JP seat isn't over just yet.
Lopez's race is one of two in Washington County where provisional ballots can make or break the race, with close margins and uncounted votes meaning results are still up in the air.
Nevertheless, Lopez shared a victory message on Nov. 6, stating that now more than ever is time to have one another in mind.
"In these moments we must do what we can for those in our community," Lopez said on social media. "We are obligated to be informed about the plights of our neighbors; now more than ever our responsibility to one another will define our success or failure."
Less than a week after his presumptive win, Lopez sat down with 5NEWS to talk about what's next and what it means to be representing a new generation of politicians.
Lopez said he and his family moved to Springdale when he was seven and has been a part of the community ever since. He said his political activism started when he was 13, helping his brother with the nonprofit he started.
After high school, Lopez said he attended the University of Arkansas and studied economics. He said after, people were approaching him telling him he should run for office.
Lopez said he is committed to giving everything he can to the community.
"[I] am resolute that we're all we have and we're all we need," Lopez said.
Since his win, Lopez has had an outpouring of support and congratulations including from the Washington County Democrats group, which took to social media to celebrate Lopez.
"The narrow win for JP Vladimir Lopez in Springdale is a testament to the power of local grassroots organizing," the group said.
Lopez said that while some people may see his youth as a downside, he said he will use it to his advantage.
"I am not so fixed in the way that I approach policy that I can't learn," Lopez said to 5NEWS. "I think a lot of the people that we get into politics at their age, they are fixed in their ways, or they are fixed in these ideas of how things have to be managed."
He said his background in economics will help him understand what specific decisions are working and which are not.
Washington County JP Evelyn Rios Stafford also took to social media to congratulate Lopez.
"Vlad Lopez (D) flipped a county seat to become the first member of Gen Z to serve as a Justice of the Peace. Congratulations! The way forward runs through Springdale," Rios Stafford said.
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