The G.O.P. Candidates Vary

John Boozman

Doctor of optometry

Boozman-Hof Regional Eye Clinic P.A.

Rogers

An employer of 90 people at his family’s eye clinic in Rogers, John Boozman said he understands the complications of running a small business. A former beef cattle rancher and University of Arkansas football letterman, Boozman is president the Rogers School Board and a member of the National Rifle Association.

He is for enforcing current gun laws, not creating new ones. Boozman, 50, said his strength will be building consensus in Washington, as he’s already done in the local business world.

“Unless we send someone to Washington with the ability to reach outside of our own core conservative group and build consensus without sacrificing principals, then we can’t get anything done,” Boozman said.

He said working with his firm’s compliance officer to deal with the 700,000 pages of Medicare regulations has shown him some of the frustrations experienced by business owners. The Fort Smith native plans to fight to streamline healthcare and insurance processes.

On the hot-button issue of immigration, Boozman said he’s against rewarding illegal behavior by offering amnesty to the existing 3 million illegal aliens already in the United States. He supports electronic verification of social security numbers for employers and additional funding for border patrols.

He said President Bush made “an excellent compromise” on stem-cell research funding.

He is a former campaign volunteer for the 3rd District’s former U.S. Rep. Asa Hutchinson and U.S. Sen. Tim Hutchinson. Boozman, a Baptist, has a passion for antiques.

Brad Cates

Business consultant, rancher

private ventures

West Fork

Billing himself as “the experienced candidate,” former U.S. Department of the Interior Chief Judge Brad Cates has a litany of political credentials. After becoming the youngest state legislator in New Mexico at the age of 25, Cates won four terms each with 75 percent of the vote. Cates, 51, is a staunch supporter of privacy protection, immigration reform and educational programs.

An international businessman, Cates consults foreign firms on cotton commodities, defense conversion programs and high-tech venture firms. He owns farmland in Texas, Virginia and New Mexico and operates a 75-acre West Fork farm that’s been in his family for a century.

A UA law school graduate, Cates is a former White House intern and was a Reagan delegate at the 1980 Republican Convention. He was a campaign advance team member for Reagan, Bob Dole and most recently a steering committee strategist for President Bush. He received a justice department appointment in 1981, which led to his service as an Assistant Commissioner of the Immigration and Naturalization Service.

“The system now is too expensive, burdensome and slow for businesses,” Cates said. “If a job cannot be filed by an American, there needs to be a system for easily and cheaply getting the worker you need.”

He doesn’t support using the military to patrol the Mexican border. Cates said the 17,000-page U.S. tax code should be replaced with about 100 pages.

He is openly opposed to President Bush’s position on stem cell research. and is against extensive campaign finance reform.

Gunner DeLay

State senator, lawyer

Rush, Rush & Cook Law Firm

Fort Smith

A Fort Smith native, Gunner DeLay served in the Arkansas House from 1995-97 and the state Senate from 1999-01. An ardent defender of the Second and Tenth Amendments, DeLay’s platform includes clamping down on illegal immigration, supporting pro-life legislation, reducing taxes and immediately eliminating the inheritance tax. He also wants to privatize Social Security.

“Congress has not given employers the adequate tools for dealing with immigration,” DeLay said. “I want to see instant verification of Social Security numbers, but I also believe the best place to take on the problem of illegal immigrants is at the Mexican border … Like the American Legion, I would support using military force to help secure the border if necessary.”

He is critical of front-runner Jim Hendren’s record on gun control, specifically concealed handgun permits. DeLay has voted against mandatory gun locks and sponsored bills to reduce concealed weapon permit costs and extend them to include parks and restaurants.

DeLay said he wants to make sure this year’s tax rebate doesn’t turn into next year’s new taxes. He supports the 17 percent flat tax proposed by U.S. Rep. Dick Armey, R-Texas. He opposes some campaign finance reform on the grounds that it restricts free speech.

He helped pass victims’ rights legislation this session, but he was disappointed that the sales-tax holiday bill he sponsored was killed in the House. “We can give a $1 million tax break to Oaklawn Park, but not working families,” DeLay said.

Jim Hendren

Owner

Hendren Plastics Inc.

Sulphur Springs

A former U.S. Air Force F-15 fighter pilot, Jim Hendren launched his campaign with a $300,000 personal donation. That made the former state representative’s war chest more than four times larger than the race’s biggest fund raiser, Democrat state Rep. Jo Carson.

“If I have to work hard to replace those funds, then I don’t mind doing that,” he said. “I just can’t expect others to support my campaign if I’m not willing to myself.”

Hendren, 38, is a Gravette native and nephew of U.S. Sen. Tim Hutchinson and former U.S. Rep. Asa Hutchinson. Hendren’s campaign literature closely aligns him with the Hutchinsons, but he said his own record in the state Legislature speaks for itself.

He voted against concealed weapon permit legislation supported by DeLay because, he said, it allowed an open alcohol container to be present around firearms and didn’t include enough training requirements.

Hendren sponsored the Arkansas Fetal Protection Law and does not favor federal spending for stem cell research using embryos or fetuses.

Hendren employs more than 40 people at his polystyrene manufacturing company, The products are used in packaging and for flotation in boats and water docks.

Hendren doesn’t advocate the use of U.S. troops on the Mexican border to restrict the flow of immigrants. He wants more funding for border patrols.