EL DORADO – South Arkansas Now spent the last two weeks speaking to people as they exited the early voting location at the El Dorado Municipal Auditorium. Those who spoke with us were promised three things: 1) We would not ask their name, 2) We would NOT ask them for whom they voted and 3) What were their predictions on certain races. The consensus among those we spoke with, leading up to yesterday’s tallying of the votes was, “It’s a toss-up!” “I’d say 50/50!” and one man suggested, “Flip a coin, that’s gonna be about as accurate as trying to predict it at this point.” Each participant said they knew who they voted for but had no idea how the rest of the city would vote.  

You may be asking yourself, “Which race are you talking about?” Which is a very good question, because those responses above are all from three different races and yet were most answers we received when talking about 1) The Mayor’s Race, 2) City Attorney’s Race, and the 3) ½ cent sales tax. Prior to going live with last night’s coverage of election returns, B.A. “Sandy” Sanford, Grant Merrill and Jax Sanford all seemed to agree on one key point; it could be a long night if the votes are close.  

However, once the totals began to roll in, it was anything but close in all three of those races. Mayor Paul Choate, who took office in 2023 after defeating previous Mayor Veronica Smith-Creer, was on the ballot with a Republican challenger in political newcomer Reko Roberson. Voters we spoke with seemed to expect a close race. However, Mayor Choate retained the nomination with 74% of the vote, a count of 875 to Roberson’s 307. Daniel Roberts, a political strategist with ties to Northwest Arkansas, Northeast Louisiana, and the DFW Metro said, “I only have limited knowledge of that race, but from what I saw, Roberson spent most of his time reaching out and trying to include people who were not likely to vote in the Republican primary. From where I sit, it appears he should have spent more time with those who are likely voters and convince them of his vision.” 

The second race, another that was supposed to be “neck and neck,” was the historic race for City Attorney. If there had ever been a contested election for the office, no one could recall it. Robert Rushing, who took office in 2023 after running unopposed the previous year, found himself with an opponent in Ryan Wolf. The position, which is considered part-time, pays a little more than $22,000 annually. Which begged the question of why someone with a law degree would spend so much time, energy, and money running for that role? Political Strategist Noah Blankenship watched South Arkansas Now’s live stream of the political debate in preparation for this story. Blankenship, who has advised U.S. Senators, Congressmen, Governors, and Presidents, said, “I think that was a question on every voter’s mind. They looked at this relative newcomer who inserted himself into local politics. There’s nothing wrong with that. Frankly, it’s admirable in many circles. But when you come out of nowhere and you jump with both feet into a race for a job that pays below the national poverty line, people ask themselves why. I think Mr. Wolf was damaged most by the debate you hosted and streamed online. His refusal to deny that he was told to run for office or that someone else was pulling his strings was the first red flag. I think the second warning sign was that he proudly stated on six occasions that he would do whatever the Mayor and City Council told him to do. As an outsider looking in, I was taken aback by that statement the first time he said it. Then to go and proudly reannounce five more times seemed amateur and foolish. Finally, I think his statement about running Dollar General Stores gave voters a sour taste. Look, we all love the people at our Dollar General, I know I do. However, that doesn’t mean you want them babysitting your kids, pastoring your church or keeping your city within the law.” Blankenship said.  

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At the end of the night, Robert Rushing retained his nomination from the party to represent them in the upcoming General Election in November. Rushing ended the night with 679 votes to Wolf’s 475 or a 59% – 41% split.  

The third race that was on the radar, but no one could confidently call ahead of time was the “Access for Life” ½ cent sales tax. The proposed tax would be for maintenance and facilities at South Arkansas Regional Hospital. “I think the overall thought was it would pass, but no one knew by what margin. Talking to voters after they left the polls, they expected it to be a very close race.” Grant Merrill, co-owner of South Arkansas Now, said. Blankenship looked over the results and said, “Of course, I’m not in El Dorado. I’m sitting in my office in Austin, Texas. So, I don’t have a finger on the pulse. But I must admit, this one surprised me a little. I fully expected it to pass. I was thinking it would garner 57, maybe 58 percent of the vote. But congratulations to the people who put that campaign together; they obviously attacked that strategically. But let me say this, and I think this is the most important take from this election. Neighbors aren’t talking to each other. There is no reason people should be saying the mayoral race is a coin flip, and he wins with 74% of the vote. There had to be a disconnect. And it’s not just there; we are seeing this around the nation in the races we are working; people are not discussing their votes with their neighbors, churchgoers, co-workers or anyone else. That leaves a void on the public’s sentiment, and I think that’s what we just witnessed in three key races in El Dorado.” The final count on the Access for Life tax was 1371 in favor to 673 opposed.  

In other races, Jill Weinischke easily handled challenger Shane Calaway, 249-122, to remain the Republican nominee for El Dorado City Council Ward One. In the Smackover-Norphlet School Board race, Derrick Goodwin defeated Cliff Preston 55-40. The Union County Justice of the Peace race for District 8, between Adam Robertson and Randy Hendricks was decided with Robertson winning 171-99. Union County Circuit Clerk winner Tonya Bass-Allen was easily the highest vote gaining candidate of the night, defeating Kelly McWilliams Ward 1964-805. The race for Union County Assessor between Misti Rawls-Conley and Carrie Langley was slightly closer, with Langley winning by a vote of 1493-1214.  

The General Election in November will see races for El Dorado Mayor, City Attorney, as well as City Council seats in Wards 1, 2, and 3. 

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