Dunklin running for chairman of Republican Party of Arkansas

Feb 01, 2024

The Republican Party of Arkansas' 1st Congressional District Chair Sarah Dunklin is vying with state Department of Transformation and Shared Services Secretary Joseph Wood, who is backed by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, to be the next party chair.

The party's former chairman, Cody Hiland, resigned from the post Monday before Sanders appointed him to the Arkansas Supreme Court to fill the vacancy created by last month's death of Justice Robin Wynne until 2025.

The party's first vice chairman, John Parke, is serving as both party chairman and first vice chairman under the state party's rules after Hiland's resignation, according to Parke.

The Republican Party of Arkansas' State Committee will elect the next chairduring its Aug. 19 meeting in Little Rock. The State Committee has 300-plus voting members, according to the party's Executive Director Seth Mays.

Dunklin, a 44-year-old family farmer from Dumas, said Thursday in a written statement that the success of the Republican Party requires consistency in leadership and stability in the position of chair.

Electing Republicans in state and county governments, upholding the party's platform and serving the party members are most important, she said.

"Furthermore, Arkansas needs a determined America First voice to represent Arkansas values on the RNC [Republican National Committee] in these unprecedented times," Dunklin said.

In a separate letter to the Republican family, she wrote that "our country is unrecognizable from even a few short years ago.

"Standing firm in this moment for conservative Republican Christian principles is critical," Dunklin wrote.

Dunklin said Thursday in her written statement that years of experience as a chair is vital to truly understanding the needs and challenges of the party's county committees and the state party. She served as the party's Desha County chair for three terms, and she is in her second term as the 1st Congressional District chair.

"My entering the race gives members the ability to make their own choice for Party leadership," she said in her statement. "May God be with our Party as we decide."

Dunklin said she has not asked for any endorsements as the only endorsement that she seeks is the votes of the state committee members, and she will not take a salary as party chair.

Wood, of Alexander, is 58 and said Thursday that he is running to be chairman of the Republican Party of Arkansas "because I want to continue the work of Chairman Hiland unifying our base, recruiting and electing Republican candidates, and supporting the bold, conservative reforms of Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

"I have been a conservative Republican for over 35 years, from an orphaned kid found in the streets of Chicago to serving as County Judge for one of Arkansas' largest counties and in Governor Sanders' cabinet," he said in a written statement.

"I personally know what it takes to be a volunteer, a candidate, and a leader in our great State of Arkansas, and that's why I am running to be the next Chairman of the Republican Party of Arkansas," Wood said.

Wood, who served two terms as the party's treasurer and lost a bid to be the state party chairman in 2008 to Doyle Webb, said he wants Republicans to vote for his "executive experience in the Party, private, and public sectors with demonstrated results, committed to our conservative platform and values, building a stronger Party and fighting always for faith, family and our freedoms."

In 2022, he made an unsuccessful bid for the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor.

Wood said he would resign as secretary of the state Department of Transformation and Shared Services if he is elected as party chairman. He is paid a salary of $172,000 a year as the department's secretary, according to the Arkansas' Transparency website.

As to whether he would plan to take a salary as party chairman if elected, he said in his written statement that "The RPA Executive Committee determines compensation for the role and I will let them decide what is appropriate."

Sanders said in a news release Monday that "Secretary Wood has my full support for Chairman of the Republican Party of Arkansas.

"Joseph has been a stalwart member of the RPA for over 25 years and has served our state in numerous positions," she said.

"From serving as Washington County Judge to most recently serving as TSS Secretary in my administration, Joseph has the experience and leadership ability to recruit and elect conservative candidates up and down the ballot," Sanders said. "Together, we can ensure the success of the Republican Party in Arkansas for years to come."

In December 2022, Hiland was elected chairman of the Republican Party of Arkansas to succeed Jonelle Fulmer, who had served in the post since December 2020, after Sanders signaled her support for Hiland to be the party chairman.

Print Headline: 1st Congressional District GOP Chair Dunklin running to be state leader

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