Category Archives: Politics

Arkansas projects get funded as debt elephant gets ignored

tax, taxes, debt, deficits, spending, trillion, State of the Union, deficit hawks, balanced budget amendment, Jonathan Bydlak, immigration, $98.8 trillion, $970 billion, debt elephantCongress has funded most but not all of the government. Four members of Arkansas’ congressional delegation secured hundreds of millions of dollars for highways and other state projects. Meanwhile, a nonpartisan group is warning of the consequences of ever-increasing government debt.

That paragraph pretty much sums up the federal budget news from the past couple of weeks, with more to come. 

As you may not have noticed, there was another government shutdown last week, though only a partial, brief one. It ended when President Trump on Feb. 3 passed the second of two bills that funded government operations through September – all except for the Department of Homeland Security, which got funding for only two weeks until Feb. 13.

Democrats balked at funding that agency because they want major reforms to its Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations. As of Sunday evening, the question had not been resolved. 

So we’re in another partial government shutdown. Continue reading →

Registered Democrats can’t vote in GOP primaries, but they can change at the polls

By Steve Brawner, © 2026 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

This year’s open primary elections in Arkansas will be a little more closed, but only to Democrats seeking to vote in the Republican primary.

Traditionally, every Arkansas voter freely could vote in the Republican, Democratic, or a nonpartisan primary. The latter voters cast a shorter ballot featuring only judicial and other nonpartisan races.

Some Republicans in recent years have argued that their primary should be reserved for Republicans. They’ve argued that crossover Democrats could be affecting the results.

That’s a reasonable position. 

The counter argument is that less than 8.2% of the state’s voters are registered Republicans, so others would have to either declare their allegiance to a party or otherwise not vote. Not voting in the Republican primary in much of Arkansas means skipping the election that often matters the most. Continue reading →

Womack speaks in House while heart is at home

Steve WomackBy Steve Brawner, © 2026 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

U.S. Rep. Steve Womack spoke in the House of Representatives on Jan. 22 in support of a $1.2 trillion spending package he had helped create. His voice cracked twice, but only briefly and for a very good reason. Four days earlier, he had lost his wife.

Terri Womack, his wife of 41 years, had died on Jan. 18 at age 68.

The spending package passed the House with bipartisan support, 341-88. It would provide funding for the Departments of Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, Defense, Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education.

Continue reading →

Cole Jester vs. Christian Olson for land commissioner

The Arkansas land commissioner is so low profile that most voters probably don’t know who the current officeholder is or what he does.

The officeholder should be easy: Tommy Land is the current land commissioner. He’s term-limited. 

Running in the Republican primary to replace him are Secretary of State Cole Jester and Christian Olson. No Democrats filed. Continue reading →

Hammer vs. Harrison vs. Norris for SOS

Let’s meet the Republicans seeking to be Arkansas’ next secretary of state: Sen. Kim Hammer, R-Benton; Miller County Judge Cathy Hardin Harrison; and Bryan Norris.

The office administers elections, maintains the Capitol, and administers business filings. Current Secretary of State Cole Jester was appointed by Gov. Sarah Sanders and is therefore ineligible to run. The primary elections are March 3. Continue reading →