GOP legislative primary already set in NWA

It's not even close to 2014 and there is already a Republican primary in State House District 87, which extends from Siloam Springs to just past Tontitown.

Lucas Roebuck, a former journalist, announced Tuesday (June 11) that he will seek the open seat, while Robin Lundstrum has previously announced for the position. Rep. Johnathan Barnett, R-Siloam Springs, is term limited.

In a telephone conversation today (June 11), Roebuck, a former assignment editor at KNWA-TV and managing editor of the Northwest Arkansas Times, said he was looking forward to a "good race."

In announcing, Roebuck said he would promote "limited government, free enterprise and the protection of individual rights."

As part of that platform, he made clear that he was against the private option plan championed by Republicans during the latest legislative session.

"The question is if I were in the legislature for that session and I would have voted against the private option," he said.

While he admitted it would be tough to overturn legislation overwhelmingly passed by both parties, he thinks it could be done.

The first option, he said, would be to starve the program through a lack of funding. Another option, Roebuck said, would be to revisit the legislation altogether, possibly voting to repeal the private option.

"If it ends up being a big issue and you see contested state house primaries (like in district 87), based on that, I think you may see some political will to expand that. But who knows what will happen between now and 2015?"

Even though he disagrees with the program, calling it an "expansion of medicaid," he said he gives his Republican colleagues "kudos."

"I disagree with it, but they were trying to find something," Roebuck said.

Even thought setting up a health insurance exchange, which the private option does, was required under the Affordable Care Act, the former journalist said Arkansas legislators should have stood up to the federal government's mandates.

"There were 30 states that did nothing and in some ways, we were unique," he said. "I don't think you need to roll over every time the federal government says, 'Do this.' The federal government likes to play that game."

In addition to his nearly 10 years in the journalism field, Roebuck has been a professor at two universities. He serves as director of university communications at John Brown University in Siloam Springs.

Roebuck is married, has four children and is a member of Sager Creek Community Church.