By John Lyon and Rob Moritz
Arkansas News Bureau
LITTLE ROCK — Four candidates for congress and two for the U.S. Senate filed today, the fourth day of Arkansas’ political filing period.
Also, Attorney General Dustin McDaniel filed for re-election.
State Rep. David Cook, D-Williford, filed to run for the 1st District congressional seat being vacated by U.S. Rep. Marion Berry, D-Gillett.
Cook said the top issues of his campaign will be “the economy, balancing the budget and jobs — trying to get jobs back here to Arkansas.”
Health care also will be an important issue in the campaign, Cook said.
“I’d like to have a better look at a public option of some type,” he said.
Others who have filed to run for the 1st District seat are Democrats Chad Causey Jonesboro, Terry Green of Mountain Home and Tim Wooldridge of Paragould and Republicans Rick Crawford of Jonesboro and Princella Smith of Wynne.
Patrick Kennedy of Little Rock, former director of public programs and public policy at the Clinton School of Public Service, filed to seek the Democratic nomination for the 2nd District congressional seat being vacated by retiring U.S. Rep. Vic Snyder, D-Little Rock.
Health care is “the moral issue of our day,” Kennedy said. “We talk about national defense. Where’s our national offense for health care? The fact that we still have 550,000 people uninsured in the state of Arkansas is a major issue.”
Kennedy also said he wants to focus on job creation, “not just … as far as quantity of jobs, but I also think it’s important to look at the quality of jobs.”
Others who have filed for the 2nd District seat are Democrats John Adams of Little Rock, David Boling of Little Rock and state Sen. Joyce Elliott of Little Rock and Republican Tim Griffin of Little Rock.
Filing for the 3rd District congressional seat was former state Sen. Gunner DeLay, R-Fort Smith, who also has served in the state House and as Sebastian County prosecutor.
DeLay becomes the seventh candidate to file to run for the congressional seat being vacated by U.S. Rep. John Boozman, R-Springdale. Boozman has filed for the U.S. Senate.
Others who have filed for the 3rd District seat are Republicans Cecile Bledsoe of Rogers, Steve Lowry of Fayetteville, Kurt Maddox of Rogers, Mike Moore of Harrison, Steve Womack of Rogers and Democrat David Whitaker of Fayetteville.
Beth Anne Rankin of Magnolia filed to seek the Republican nomination for the 4th District congressional seat now held by U.S. Rep. Mike Ross, D-Prescott.
Ross is expected to file for re-election Friday.
Rankin, a former Miss Arkansas who owns a singing studio in Magnolia, described herself as a “compassionate conservative” and said reducing the growing deficit would be a major issue in the campaign.
“I love the 4th District, I was born and raised there and I work there now, and it’s been a blessing to step up and offer my voice,” she said.
Rankin worked in former Republican Gov. Mike Huckabee’s administration and said today she has talked with Huckabee about running for Congress.
“He’s my mentor,” she said.
Glenn Gallas of Hot Springs filed Wednesday to seek the GOP nomination for the 4th District seat.
In the U.S. Senate race to unseat Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark, two candidates filed Thursday, Republican state Sen. Kim Hendren of Gravette, and Democrat D.C. Morrison of Little Rock.
Hendren said he hopes to be “a voice for Arkansas in the United States Senate,” adding that the growing deficit is a major issue.
“The people of Arkansas think we ought to not spend money we don’t have and they’ve said that over and over again,” Hendren said. “The people of Arkansas are hungry for people to stand up for them.”
Moore, who listed his occupation as “agricultural loans,” did not immediately return a call seeking comment this afternoon.
Those who have already filed for U.S. Senate include Republicans Boozman, Curtis Coleman of Little Rock and Fred Ramey and Democrats Lincoln and Lt. Gov. Bill Halter of North Little Rock.
McDaniel filed to seek re-election to a second term. A Democrat, McDaniel said he wants to build on the accomplishments of his first term.
“I said that I would take on price gougers at the pump, methamphetamine, sexual predators,” McDaniel said. “We took on payday lenders, we’ve taken on big drug companies. We’ve really fought for the people of Arkansas, and I want to keep that work going.”
No Republicans have announced plans to challenge McDaniel.
Mike Berg, a commercial real estate broker from Little Rock, filed to run as a Democrat for state land commissioner.
State Rep. Monty Davenport, D-Yellville, filed Wednesday to run for land commissioner. Term-limited Land Commissioner Mark Wilcox has filed to run for secretary of state.
Also today, Rep. Mark Martin, R-Prairie Grove, filed for secretary of state. Democrats Pat O’Brien of Jacksonville, Doris Tate of Fort Smith and Wilcox of Greenbrier have already filed for secretary of state.
Term-limited incumbent Charlie Daniels has filed to run for state auditor.
