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Witt, Westerman Seek Southern Arkansas House Seat

3 min read

LITTLE ROCK — The race for a southern Arkansas congressional seat is pitting a longtime Democratic figure and friend of former President Bill Clinton against a legislator who has been a key leader in Republicans’ recent rise in the state.

Former Federal Emergency Management Agency Director James Lee Witt and state Rep. Bruce Westerman are vying for the 4th District seat, which also includes portions of western Arkansas. The two major party candidates and Libertarian Ken Hamilton are running for the seat currently held by Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Cotton, who is hoping to unseat Democratic Sen. Mark Pryor.

Witt, 70, is a former Yell County judge who ran Arkansas’ office of emergency services before being named FEMA director, a job he held throughout Clinton’s two terms. He says his background with FEMA shows he can work with both parties and can find ways to control federal spending. Witt has said he wants to focus on highway infrastructure, economic development and job training for the district.

“It’s gotten to the point where Congress is about power and politics and not about people anymore,” Witt said. “We have to get back to being about people. There are so many needs that with tight budget restraints and trying to control the budget but still meet those priority needs is going to be a challenge.”

Westerman, 46, is an engineer and forester from Hot Springs who has served in the state Legislature. He served as the majority leader last year and earlier this year, after Republicans won control of the state Legislature in the 2012 election for the first time since Reconstruction. He’s cast himself as someone well-positioned to use the office to fight what he describes as federal overreach under President Barack Obama.

“I believe that my record and my belief align well with the values of the voters of the 4th district,” Westerman said. “I believe they know what they’re getting with me. I’ve heard a lot of frustration with the current administration and their policies.”

As the top Republican in the House, Westerman led the unsuccessful fight against the state’s “private option” Medicaid expansion. Approved as an alternative to the Medicaid expansion called under the federal health law, the program uses federal funds to purchase private insurance for the poor. More than 211,000 people are enrolled in the program.

Westerman has said one of his priorities will be pushing to repeal the federal health law, or at to dismantle it “piece by piece.”

“I think the ultimate goal is to repeal it and I think that’s what we start with and we work toward that end,” Westerman said.

Witt says he would have voted against the law, but opposes its repeal and praised Arkansas’ compromise Medicaid expansion.

“Now that it is law, upheld by the Supreme Court, we should look at how we can make it better and more accessible and less expensive,” Witt said.

The two have also split on the nearly $100 million a year farm bill signed into law this year. Witt said he supported it and opposed efforts to try to have its food stamp funding provision considered separately. Westerman has praised the push to split the legislation in two and says the food stamp program needs reforming — but has said he wouldn’t vote against a farm bill just because it included food stamp funding.

Witt said Westerman has a history of voting along party lines too much. “I don’t think you can be a problem-solver or you can make a great difference with a straight party vote,” Witt said. “I believe that’s the real difference in us.”

Westerman cited his push against the private option, which sharply divided Republicans in the Legislature, as a time he fought those in his party.

“There are some issues that I’ve taken principled stands on, and I’ll continue to take those principled stands in Congress. Obamacare is one of those,” Westerman said.

(Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, rewritten, broadcast or distributed.)

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