ARKANSAS, USA — Arkansas is one of many states holding primary elections on March 5. One key race in Northwest Arkansas and the River Valley is the fight for Arkansas’ 3rd Congressional District.
Incumbent Representative Steve Womack will face state Senator Clint Penzo on Super Tuesday for the Republican nomination for the seat.
Counties in the district include parts of Sebastian County, Benton, Washington, Madison, and Crawford Counties
Womack, who has held this seat since 2011, says he is looking to continue his work in Congress representing Northwest Arkansas and the River Valley.
“I think if you analyze the body of my work, you will see that I have, for 13 and a half years, been a devoted member of Congress representing the interests of my people,” Womack said. “I've never missed a vote. I'm 13 and a half years into this, and I voted over 8,000 times, having never missed a vote. I think that speaks to the commitment that I have for my region."
According to Womack, the biggest issues concerning the district's voters are national debt, national security, and inflation. One of the issues at the top of that list, however, is immigration.
"We need to secure the border and tackle a broader, more comprehensive immigration policy that includes visa programs, programs like 'catch and release' and interior enforcement,” Womack said. “We need to be able to deal with our DACA kids. All of those things hinge on America's trust and confidence that the border is secure."
Challenger Penzo has served in local politics as a city council member of Tontitown, a member of the Arkansas House of Representatives, and now a state senator.
Like Womack, Penzo says an issue at the top of Arkansans’ minds is the border. Penzo, however, says he believes Womack has not done enough to make sure money is being used specifically on fixing the border issue.
"I noticed that in an interview I saw just a few days ago of Congressman Womack, he was stating that the most important thing to him is funding the U.S. government,” Penzo said. “They passed another continuing resolution funding the government, but there was not any provision in it for border security. The number one issue for my constituents is closing the border."
Penzo also told 5NEWS that he believes Womack has not represented his constituents the way a representative should.
"I think the longer somebody's been in D.C., the longer you know, they start listening to their big money donors instead of their constituents,” Penzo said. "I think that's a prime example of what's happened to Congressman Womack.”
The winner of this race will face the Democratic challenger in November's general election. Caitlin Draper is running unopposed for the Democratic nomination for District 3.
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