The Tolbert Report

Rep. Dawn Creekmore gathered with a crowd of around 30 supporters on the lawn of the Saline County Courthouse to announce her candidacy for State Senate District 22, which includes Benton, Bryant, and Bauxite in Saline County. Creekmore currently represents State Representative District 27, which includes East End, but recently moved to Bauxite fueling speculation that she would be running for the state senate. Incumbent Sen. Shane Broadway is term limited and cannot run for re-election. This morning she made it official.

Creekmore told me she was running for state senate “because I have been very busy getting a lot of things done and I am not finished yet. There is still a lot of stuff to do and I want to continue that on.” She said that she would be continuing to focus on consumer protection, victim’s rights, and sexual offender legislation, issues she worked heavily on in the previous session. I ask Creekmore about her strategy coming on the heels Sen. Broadway who is very popular in the district. She said that she wished she could make a hologram so that she could be in as many place at the same time and Sen. Broadway was known for being but that she will just be herself and honest.

As a representative, Creekmore has been known as one of the more conservative Democrats including legislation such as the state ban on partial-birth abortion. She was one of the last Democrats to sign on to the tobacco tax increase after allegedly the leaders of her own Party threatened to kill several bills she was working including the partial birth abortion ban and victim’s right legislation.

Republican Rep. Dan Greenberg has announced his intent to run for the seat and former Republican Rep. Jeremy Hutchinson is also considering running. Former Rep. Dwight Fite is also rumored to be looking at a run although it is uncertain if he will run as a Democrat or as a Republican.

UPDATE – The full video of Creekmore’s announement is on the local MySaline blog.  In it, Creekmore praises Sen. Broadway and says she wants to continue his excellent representation.  She cites her bill enacting Juli’s Law which requires the collection of DNA after an arrest and is named after Juli Busken, a Benton native who was killed in 1996.

Attending the rally was Sen. Broadway’s wife Debbie, Rep. Steve Harrelson who is also running for the State Senate in Texarkana, and former Rep. Lamont Cornwell.  I spoke to Cornwell briefly and said he planned to support Creekmore in the race so I take it that means he is not running.

UPDATE II - A press release this morning alerts me that Creekmore has already drawn competition for the Democratic Primary. Todd Witham, a local small business owner and former U.S. Marine, has also announced that he will be running as well.  Witham grew up in Benton but now lives in West Little Rock (Yes, District 22 includes Benton, Bryant, Bauxite and part of West Little Rock.)  Witham and his wife Carol owns Woodland International Research Group and Inspiration Day Treatment, Inc. in Little Rock.

Tags: 2010 Candidates