It’s less than a year to the next primary election. Political gossip is picking up. Chew upon this from the western reaches of Little Rock and beyond.

Republican Rep. Dan Greenberg of Little Rock supposedly will announce June 15 that he’ll try to replace term-limited Shane Broadway, a  Democrat, in the state Senate. That’s not the end of discussion for that two-county Senate district. Many familiar Republicans are interested, including former Rep. Jeremy Hutchinson of Little Rock and Dennis “What we need is another 9/11” Milligan of Bryant, the former party chair. Conventional wisdom says the Saline County candidate wins this district, but money and energy always count for more than presumed wisdom.

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Who’ll the Democrats offer? It’s a key question for territory that is trending GOP. Dwight Fite of Benton, the old coach and former state representative, maybe? And there’s talk of Rep. Dawn Creekmore eying the seat. (Creekmore v. Greenberg. There’s a non-choice, should it come to that.)

Also interesting is the race that will develop if Greenberg  seeks the Senate. Three Democrats are reported to be considering a run for his seat, which covers Chenal Valley and other points west. No Democrat has sought the seat in about a decade. On the Republican side, old-line LR businessman John Parke, who lost a close race to Sen. David Johnson for House in the Heights area a few years back, has moved into the district and is expected to run for the GOP.

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The Democrats? I’ve heard the names of Scott Pace, a law student who has lobbied for pharmacists; Dusty Maxwell, who’s represented Pathfinders; and, maybe most interestingly, Debbie Murphy. She’s an energetic former Pulaski County School Board member who’s lived 16 years on Chenal Circle. Her husband’s a physician, a good connection to an audience that otherwise trends Republican. Announcements are pending something official from Greenberg.

Also, I’m hearing a rumor of an energetic Democratic challenge to state Rep. Ed Garner of Maumelle, about whom the less said the better. My Maumelle sources scoff at the notion of a Democrat winning in Maumelle, even against the current doofus.

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