Rep. Womack, State Sen. Penzo in Arkansas GOP 3rd Congressional District race

NORTHWEST ARKANSAS (KNWA/KFTA) — When many voters head to the polls Tuesday, they’ll be tasked with a choice for the Arkansas 3rd Congressional District.

Rep. Steve Womack currently holds the seat — a position he’s been in since 2010 — and is being challenged by Arkansas State Sen. Clint Penzo, who represents the 31st District. The winner of the race will face the Democratic candidate Caitlin Draper in the November election to represent Arkansas’ District 3 in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Womack pointed to his more than 13 years of experience in Congress as a leg up for the position, noting he has never missed a vote in the House.

“I don’t think a 3rd District discerning voter could expect more than what I’m giving them in Washington,” Womack said. “I come to work every day, and you don’t have to worry about where Steve Womack is on an issue because over 8,000 times, I voted. Never missed one.”

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One of those votes, which would have appointed Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio to Speaker of the House, Womack voted against — instead putting his bid for Rep. Steve Scalise from Louisiana. Penzo claims this played a role in him throwing his hat into the ring for the congressional seat.

“Resolutions were sent from the 3rd District Republican Committee, the Benton County Women’s Republican Committee and also the Washington County Republican Committee to Womack asking him to vote for Jim Jordan,” Penzo said. “Instead of representing what his constituents wanted, he did what he thought was right for him, so that upset a lot of people in my district.

“So that got my phone ringing, and a lot of people reached out to me and asked me to primary Congressman Womack,” Penzo said.

Both candidates are Republicans, stating that they are anti-abortion and would back Israel in its war against Hamas. Womack and Penzo agree that there is a problem with illegal immigration with the former calling the southern border “a mess.”

Penzo wants to close the southern border but thinks the immigration problem is more widespread.

“We’ve got Chinese, Russians, Syrians, people coming from a lot of countries that we consider enemies,” Penzo said. “These are military-aged males that are coming in unvetted, and that’s a national security threat.”

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The two are split on the issue of sending more money to Ukraine, though.

“I am unapologetically in favor of helping people who are trying to help themselves against rogue dictators that threaten world peace throughout,” Womack said.

“We’ve been sending money to Ukraine and a lot of it’s unaccounted for,” Penzo said.

In addition to finishing the Interstate 49 and Highway 412 projects, Womack said one of the bigger issues in District 3 is nutrient loading into the Illinois River Watershed.

“I do worry a little bit about a T.M.D.L. — a total maximum daily load — on any nutrient that is flowing into the Illinois River, either through farm applications or point-source pollution provided by our cities,” Womack said.

Penzo said, if elected, he would want to focus on improving rural areas of the 3rd District.

“There’s a lot of complaints about infrastructure in some of the surrounding areas and their inability to attract businesses because of the lack of infrastructure,” Penzo said.

Womack said he “looks forward” to serving another two years in Congress.

“To run for Congress and now serve 13 and a half years, again, the honor of a lifetime,” Womack said. “I firmly believe the things that I said I would be willing to do in representing my district, I’ve accomplished.”

Penzo said if he gets the nomination, constituents would get “someone that actually listens.”

“They will have a representative that comes to the county committee meetings,” Penzo said. “I plan on doing, in district, ‘Coffee With Clint,’ have events where I can actually sit down and have dialogue.”

Voters in Washington, Benton, Madison, Carroll, Crawford and Sebastian counties will be tasked with choosing between Womack and Penzo for the Republican nomination.

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