Current:Home > StocksUS Rep. Steve Womack aims to fend off primary challenge from Arkansas state lawmaker-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
US Rep. Steve Womack aims to fend off primary challenge from Arkansas state lawmaker
View Date:2024-12-23 22:13:20
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Republican U.S. Rep. Steve Womack faces a longshot challenge in Tuesday’s Arkansas primary from a state legislator who has cited the messy fight over House speaker last year as a reason for challenging the incumbent.
Womack, 67, faces state Sen. Clint Penzo in the GOP primary for northwest Arkansas’ 3rd Congressional District, and is the only one of the state’s four House members facing a primary challenge. The winner of Tuesday’s race will face Democrat Cailin Draper in November.
Womack was first elected to the seat in 2010 and is a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee. Penzo has served in the state Senate since 2023 and served two terms in the Arkansas House before that.
Womack easily won reelection to the seat two years ago, and heads into the primary with several advantages over Penzo. Womack has the backing of the state’s top Republicans, the endorsement of key conservative groups and has far outpaced Penzo in fundraising.
Penzo has tried to portray Womack as not conservative enough for the district. He criticized Womack for opposing Rep. Jim Jordan’s unsuccessful bid to replace ousted House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Womack instead voted for House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, who withdrew his bid after facing opposition from GOP hardliners. Womack ultimately voted for Mike Johnson, who was elected speaker.
Womack at the time called his support for Scalise a matter of principle. Scalise has campaigned in northwest Arkansas for Womack’s reelection bid.
Womack has dismissed Penzo’s criticism, noting his support for Johnson. He’s said he decided to run for reelection to his seat to focus on several issues, including border security and the deficit.
veryGood! (79425)
Related
- How Jersey Shore's Sammi Sweetheart Giancola's Fiancé Justin May Supports Her on IVF Journey
- Mom of Teenage Titan Sub Passenger Says She Gave Up Her Seat for Him to Go on Journey
- Boy reels in invasive piranha-like fish from Oklahoma pond
- A Clean Energy Milestone: Renewables Pulled Ahead of Coal in 2020
- USMNT Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal Leg 1 vs. Jamaica: Live stream and TV, rosters
- Turning Trash to Natural Gas: Utilities Fight for Their Future Amid Climate Change
- Proposal before Maine lawmakers would jumpstart offshore wind projects
- Habitat Protections for Florida’s Threatened Manatees Get an Overdue Update
- Hurricane forecasters on alert: November storm could head for Florida
- Biden reassures bank customers and says the failed firms' leaders are fired
Ranking
- Young Black and Latino men say they chose Trump because of the economy and jobs. Here’s how and why
- Warming Trends: Extracting Data From Pictures, Paying Attention to the ‘Twilight Zone,’ and Making Climate Change Movies With Edge
- The UN’s Top Human Rights Panel Votes to Recognize the Right to a Clean and Sustainable Environment
- The unexpected American shopping spree seems to have cooled
- Gun groups sue to overturn Maine’s new three-day waiting period to buy firearms
- We found the 'missing workers'
- Abortion messaging roils debate over Ohio ballot initiative. Backers said it wasn’t about that
- The truth is there's little the government can do about lies on cable
Recommendation
-
CFP bracket prediction: SEC adds a fifth team to field while a Big Ten unbeaten falls out
-
A Big Climate Warning from One of the Gulf of Maine’s Smallest Marine Creatures
-
Novo Nordisk will cut some U.S. insulin prices by up to 75% starting next year
-
Las Vegas police search home in connection to Tupac Shakur murder
-
Judge weighs the merits of a lawsuit alleging ‘Real Housewives’ creators abused a cast member
-
Over 60,000 Amazon Shoppers Love This Easy-Breezy Summer Dress That's on Sale for $25
-
Biden reassures bank customers and says the failed firms' leaders are fired
-
For Emmett Till’s family, national monument proclamation cements his inclusion in the American story