I haven’t heard from Sen. Gene Jeffress of Luann but his brother Jimmy tells me today his brother said yesterday that he plans to follow through and file for the Democratic nomination for 4th District Congress. Jeffress hasn’t reported fund-raising to date, but apparently is prepared to pay the filing fee.
The rest of the 4th District rumor mill is a pretty solid line of talk that there is at least one more Democrat who will enter the race. The Democratic Party confirms that it expects one more candidate to file, but won’t say who. Several have suggested to me that state Rep. Johnnie Roebuck of Arkadelphia, a retired educator and House majority leader, might be that candidate. I asked her about the rumor. “I have considered it,” she said in an e-mail several days ago.
And ….. ??????
No response as yet to the followup question.
UPDATE: Roby Brock reports running into Roebuck at Capitol and she tells him contemplation of race was in “past tense.” So …..
D.C. Morrison, who endorsed a Republican in the district two years ago, had already said he’ll be on the Democratic ballot. His intent is to cause trouble for Democrats, as he did by running in the Democratic U.S. Senate primary in 2010. The kinds of folks who voted in that primary for Morrison will be occupied this year with the three four-way contest for the Republican congressional nomination. GOP field is down to Beth Anne Rankin, Tom Cotton and John Cowart. Marcus Richmond dropped out today and threw his 12 or so votes to Cotton.