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Clemmer avoids runoff; GOP District 29 candidate for House defeats Lidzy, Hooton |
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Wednesday, 21 May 2008 |
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Republican Ann Clemmer avoided a runoff Tuesday by easily defeating two other Arkansas House of Representative District 29 candidates in the Saline County preferential primary election.  Ann Clemmer hugs her mother, Martha Veasman, after winning the Republican nomination for the District 29 seat in the Arkansas House of Representatives. Clemmer defeated two other candidates without a runoff.
Clemmer, 49, collected 58 percent of the votes in outdistancing GOP foes J. Brett Hooton and Bud Lidzy, both of Bryant.
The political science instructor had 1,208 votes, Hooton had 697 and Lidzy had 190. Clemmer will face Democrat Scott Smith in the Nov. 4 general election.
The winner will succeed by Rep. Janet Johnson, D-Bryant. Johnson, 60, could not seek another term because of the state’s term limits law.
“I’m just grateful for the support that I got from across my district,” Clemmer, a resident of the Salem area, said Tuesday night.
“I’m both humbled and overwhelmed at the same time that this has worked out this way. I have to thank all of my supporters and commend both of my opponents for running a good race.
“I still have November ahead,” Clemmer said of the general election. “I’m really encouraged by the high turnout and the fact that I got more votes than the two Democrats combined. That will help because support will build more support.”
Clemmer thanked the voters and “my many supporters and my family.”
She is president of the Saline County Republican Women and is a political science instructor at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock,
When she entered the race, she said she was ready to practice what she teaches.
Clemmer has been a panelist for AETN’s “Arkansas Week” program and is a regular contributor for the public radio broadcast “Arkansas Viewpoint.”
Though disappointed at the outcome, Hooton, 25, said Tuesday night that he is “very happy with the amount of support I received. I wish I had a few more votes.
“Ann ran a good campaign and had some good endorsements, and Bud did fine as well.”
Hooton, an employee of Acxiom Corp., ran as a fiscal and social conservative.
He thanked his family and particularly his fiancee. “It’s been a hard month, but I got to meet a lot of people in the community and learned about a lot of concerns,” Hooton said.
Seeking the office has “made me a better part of the community,” he said. “We were able to bring out issues ... that can continue to be talked about. I’m happy with the effort.”
Hooton would not say whether he will seek political office again.
“I’m getting married in June,” he said. “After that, we’ll see what happens ... I think if I decide to do it again, I’ll start with a good base of support.”
Lidzy commented on his third-place finish while attending the victory party for House District 28 Democrat nominee Barbara Nix.
“I thoroughly enjoyed the race,” Lidzy said. “I think Saline County has some good representatives on the way, and I’m confident that these people will do a good job in the Legislature.”
Lidzy, 44, is a former Bryant alderman and worked with state Sen. Shane Broadway, D-Bryant, in the past two legislative sessions to enact legislation that benefits children of veterans. He is a clinical sales specialist for Siemens Medical Ultrasound.
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Razorbacks
