By Steve Brawner, © 2025 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.
The most intriguing Arkansas political race in next March’s primary is the one in state Senate District 28. For the third straight election, a King faces a Ballinger, albeit a different one this time.
Sen. Bryan King, R-Green Forest, faces a challenge from Bobby Ballinger Jr. of St. Paul to represent the northwest Arkansas district. It includes all of Carroll and Madison Counties and parts of Boone, Newton, Johnson and Franklin Counties. Harrison and Eureka Springs are among the district’s biggest cities.
The two families have a political history.
Ballinger’s dad, then-Rep. Bob Ballinger, ousted King, then the incumbent, in 2018 in a 52%-48% contest. King then won his seat back by defeating the elder Ballinger in a rematch in 2022. He led Ballinger, 32% to 29%, in a five-candidate race and then won in the two-person runoff with 54% of the vote.
King, a cattle and poultry farmer, has been the most vocal opponent of Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ plan to build a 3,000-bed prison near Charleston in Franklin County. His district includes a sparsely populated section of Franklin County, although not the part where Sanders would build the prison.
He was one of the “no” votes that kept Senate leaders from gaining the 75% majority support they needed to pass a $750 million appropriation for the prison. Funding for the prison no doubt will come up again.
King says the prison will cost the state far more than advertised. Moreover, it will be located in a county that doesn’t want it and doesn’t have the infrastructure to support it. He says it would be better to build more prison space by expanding county jails in the counties producing most of the state’s inmates.
This is not the first time that King has gone against the state Republican Party’s grain. In fact, it happens more than occasionally. He voted “present” and then “no” on the LEARNS Act education overhaul in 2023. I once described King as “cussedly independent.” My recollection is that he did not seem to mind the description.
But others do mind when a member of the party goes against the grain – especially the way King does it sometimes, which is very vocally. That’s where Ballinger Jr. comes in.
The younger Ballinger, who owns a tree service business, seeks to follow his father into elected office. He promises to be collaborative with the governor, not combative.
Not surprisingly, Sanders and some of the state’s other Republican leaders are squarely behind Ballinger Jr. As reported by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette’s Mike Wickline Sunday, Sanders’ political action committee, Team SHS PAC, has contributed $3,500 to Ballinger’s campaign – the maximum amount allowed in Arkansas. Attorney General Tim Griffin’s Jobs and Growth PAC contributed $3,500 as well.
Also contributing $3,500 to Ballinger was Sen. President Pro Tempore Bart Hester’s Arkansas Wins PAC. The clashes between Hester and King at times have been pointed. Wickline reported that political action committees associated with Sen. Ben Gilmore, R-Crossett; state Rep. David Ray, R-Maumelle; and state Rep. Brit McKenzie, R-Rogers, have also contributed to Ballinger’s campaign.
As Wickline reported, Senate District 28 is not the only contested Republican primary that has attracted the attention of both Sanders and Griffin. They both gave $3,500 to state Rep. Tony Furman, R-Benton, who faces a challenge from Benton Alderman Steve Brown.
One difference in the two races is that in that case, Sanders and Griffin are supporting the established incumbent, who has a track record in the Legislature. In Senate District 28, they are seeking to oust the sitting senator.
In short, the race pits an outsider incumbent against an establishment-supported challenger. The winner should have no problem defeating the Democrat, if there is one, in the general election.
We’ll find out who that winner will be March 3. One thing that’s almost certain: It will be either a King or a Ballinger – again.
Steve Brawner’s column is syndicated to 21 outlets in Arkansas. Email him at brawnersteve@mac.com.