Primary and special election races for House District 22 will be on the ballot for voters in eastern Garland and northern Saline counties in Tuesday's elections, an oddity owing to the expulsion of the previous office holder.
The seat has been vacant since October when Republican Mickey Gates became the first House member to be expelled from the chamber since 1837 following his no-contest plea in July to felony failure to pay or file state income taxes. Four candidates are vying to fill the vacancy, three of whom are seeking Tuesday's Republican nomination.
Libertarian Judy Bowers is running against Republican Richard McGrew in Tuesday's special election to serve the remainder of Gates' third term, which expires at the end of the year. McGrew, a Garland County justice of the peace, is running against Jack Wells and Richard Midkiff in Tuesday's Republican primary. The winner will face Bowers in the November general election.
McGrew is the only candidate in either race not from Hot Springs Village. The Piney resident has spent more on his special election and primary campaigns than the combined total of his opponents. Most of the $49,917 he reported spending through Feb. 22 has been self-funded. He's loaned $40,000 to his campaigns and reported contributions of $12,135, including $4,450 from political action committees.
According to financial reports, McGrew is the only District 22 candidate to accept money from special interests.
He said he's running on a pro-business platform at a candidate forum last month. The owner and manager of numerous rental properties in Garland County, his portfolio includes Higdon Ferry Apartments, Rose Villa Senior Living Apartments and Rosecliff Apartments.
"I started a small business from scratch, and me and my wife built that business into five corporations that serve the community and the state," he said at the forum. "We know what it's like to fight all that regulation the government puts in front of us."
Wells, a member of the Jessieville School Board who's resided in the Village since 1980, lost to McGrew, 770-659, in the Dec. 10 Republican primary for Tuesday's special election. Voters in the Blacksnake-Crystal Hill, Fleetwood Drive and Millcreek areas overwhelmingly favored McGrew, but Wells narrowly outpolled him in Saline County and won the Village by a decisive margin.
Village residents accounted for the bulk of the $18,340 in campaign contributions Wells reported through January. He reported $17,399 in expenses.
Wells has voiced opposition to paying for private school vouchers with public money, telling moderators at last month's candidate forum that using taxpayer dollars to fund vouchers hurts public schools.
"It's not the voucher program that bothers me," Wells, who owns Sew Perfect Embroidery in Jessieville, told moderators. "I talk to people who tell me about their experience in public schools, and it's not always good. I understand that.
"It's just where the money is going to come from. No matter how many people in our state want to choose that route, you're always going to have a pretty significant portion of the population that's going to have to rely on public schools."
Bowers, also a Village resident, is a retired nurse and owner of Windsong Quilting Studios. She told moderators she helped shape public policy while serving as a legislative-affairs representative for the Minnesota Nurses Association. She said she would focus on improving the state's public health policies.
Midkiff, also a Village resident, is a field training officer for the Garland County Sheriff's Department and served in the Armed Forces in active duty and reserve roles for more than 20 years. He told moderators he supports welfare reform, school choice and lower taxes.
The secretary of state's office had not posted 2019 statements of financial interest for Midkiff or Wells as of Friday. The filing deadline was Jan. 31.
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House 22 race features 2 elections, 4 candidates - Hot Springs Sentinel
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