Arkansas Democrats say they have more leverage on budget after midterm results

Breaking Republicans’ supermajority in the Arkansas House will give Democrats more leverage to influence policy, including upcoming budget discussions, party leaders said Thursday. 

Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who won reelection Tuesday, will present her proposed balanced budget to lawmakers Friday morning.

Arkansas Democrats flipped 11 legislative seats — 10 in the House and one in the Senate — during the midterm election. Republicans will have a 70-30 majority in the House during next year’s legislative session, so Democratic support will be needed for certain funding legislation.

With Arkansas Republicans’ House supermajority lost, a changed dynamic

Appropriations bills, which authorize government agency spending, require a three-fourths vote in the House and Senate. The only exception is the public schools appropriation, which requires a simple majority.

During a virtual call with reporters Thursday, House Minority Leader Andrew Collins said just because Democrats have more leverage doesn’t mean the party’s going to hold up appropriations bills.

Collins said Democrats will continue challenging policies they disagree with and looking for common ground with Republicans. 

“But if we continue to see some of the extreme legislation and bad policies come down that we have seen in the last few sessions, we’re not going to shy away from being vocal about that,” he said. “If that means contentious, that means contentious, but we have to stand up for the people we represent.”

During Sanders’ first term, controversial legislation that passed with only Republican support included a bill that created the state’s school voucher program and another that prohibits K-12 students from using bathrooms that do not match their gender assigned at birth.

Northwest Arkansas Democrat Rey Hernandez will become one of the House’s newest members after defeating Republican Rep. Rebecca Burkes on his third try for the House District 11 seat. 

As a Latino, veteran, senior citizen and cattle rancher, Hernandez said he’s looking forward to providing “representation for the minority populations that are hardworking Arkansans that need a voice in government.” 

House District 11 includes portions of Benton and Washington counties, which will be represented by five of the 10 new Democratic House candidates. The Democratic Party of Benton County said in an emailed statement that voters sent a clear message that “the status quo will no longer be accepted.”

“In an election full of historic victories, we are proud to have flipped four state house seats and four justice of the peace seats,” the release said. “Every Democratic candidate who ran in Benton County demonstrated strength and a clear vision for the kind of Arkansas they hope to help create.”

Sanders’ spokesperson Sam Dubke said Wednesday that Arkansas remains a very conservative state with large Republican majorities in the Legislature.

“Governor Sanders will continue her focus on education, public safety, and tax cuts, but also looks forward to working with members of both parties when priorities align, like she has on free school breakfast, phone-free schools, and other bipartisan issues,” Dubke said.