WASHINGTON COUNTY, Ark — A special primary election will be held Tuesday, Dec. 14, in Washington County to pick the Republican and Democratic candidates who will run for the Senate District 7 seat.
District 7 includes Springdale, Johnson, Goshen and Elkins in eastern Washington County.
To find a polling place near you, click this link.
Senator Lance Eads resigned from the position on Thursday, Oct. 28, to take a job in the private sector.
Six candidates are vying for the seat - two Democrats and four Republicans.
- Colby Fulfer (R)
- Derek Van Voast (D)
- Edge Nowlin (R)
- Jim Bob Duggar (R)
- Lisa Parks (D)
- Steve Unger (R)
Republican Colby Fulfer currently serves as the Chief of Staff to the Mayor of Springdale, is a former member of the Springdale City Council and is also a small business owner. He says if elected, his experience will allow him to solve problems in our community.
"Whether it's a small business, the opioid crisis, the financial position of the state of Arkansas," Fulfer said. "I'm pro-life, committed to being a pro-life candidate. Those are common-sense solutions. We have to work with other people. We have to be problem solvers when we go into local, state, or federal government."
Democrat Derek Van Voast says it's time for leadership from other cultures.
"If we continue to just uplift voices and be positive and stay away from ugly and negative, that's the true change for this whole world," he said. "That's how world change will come by the way we treat each other, and it's so easy."
Edge Nowlin says he's running because he doesn't want to see what's happening on the east and west coasts come to our state.
"A lot of people outside this state recognize the state and are starting to move here," he said. "We need to get ahead of that curve, and I want to make sure that we keep what we got and improve it for those, so we can bring the right people in, along with right jobs and keep the environment that we have."
"19 Kids and Counting" star, Jim Bob Duggar, announced he was running for the seat on Oct. 29. Duggar previously served in the Arkansas House of Representatives for four years (1999-2002).
5NEWS reached out to Duggar's campaign for comment but did not hear back.
Democrat Lisa Parks says we need to strengthen children's education and protect them and their families.
"Instead of building bigger jails and prisons, we need to look to community treatment programs," Parks said. "We need to look at ways to address food insecurity and a lack of safe and affordable housing."
Republican Steve Unger is a retired U.S. Navy Chaplin navy and wants to continue in community service. He says he would also like to increase opportunities for vocational education.
"A lot of kids go to college and get in huge debt, and they end up with a degree that leads to nothing. And frankly, we need more truck drivers, diesel mechanics. We need more nurses, nurse aids, refrigerator mechanics, air frame mechanics. You name it. And these are folk who could graduate from vo-tec school and go into a good-paying job," Unger said.