A lawsuit was filed in Hot Spring County today arguing that Republican Rep. Laurie Rushing is not eligible to seek re-election because she has not been a resident of the district.
The lawsuit, filed by Terry Diggs on behalf of five registered voters in District 26, says Rushing has claimed a house on Cannon Ridge Point in Hot Springs as her residence and lists it for voter registration purposes. But the lawsuit says she separated from her husband on Jan. 1, 2017 and he was a resident at that address until the house was sold in November 2017. The suit contends she has lived in a leased apartment in the state-owned Capitol Hill apartments in Little Rock, while state law requires a year of residency in a district for a year before an election.
Early voting has begun. The lawsuit asks that she be decertified as a candidate and votes for her not counted. Alan Hughes, a Democrat, is also seeking the position.
This is not the first legal entanglement for Rushing.
Here’s the lawsuit filed today. A hearing is set Friday before Judge Chris Williams.
UPDATE: She responded in an e-mail:
This is a distraction from what truly matters, building a better Arkansas. While I’m confident this lawsuit will go nowhere, it’s a shame some liberal Democrats would rather play games with our political process than talk about the issues impacting our state.