Charlie Collins preps for Arkansas Lt. Gov. race

Rep. Charlie Collins, R-Fayetteville, is ready to enter the race for Arkansas Lt. Governor – yet another political move caused the domino effect created by U.S. Rep. Tom Cotton.

The soon-to-be announced decision by U.S. Rep. Tom Cotton, R-Dardanelle, to challenge incumbent U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor (D) for his seat in Congress' upper chamber is likely to have many down ballot effects.

As reported last week, Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Darr has all but said he will run for Cotton's seat as soon as Cotton made his Senate run is official.

"But I believe that in the next two to three weeks, it'll be 100%, so I'm pretty sure of what I'm going to be doing," he said.

With it more likely than ever that Darr will now not seek re-election, Collins confirmed Tuesday (Aug. 6) that he will likely enter the race to replace Darr.

"I am 99.9% in. What I want to see is how things unfold after Tom Cotton announces today. if Mark Darr does what I think Mark Darr is going to do, my plan is to get in," he said. "But I'm not going to make it official until Mark Darr makes an announcement."

Little Rock businessman John Burkhalter, a Democrat, has announced he is running for Lt. Governor.

Collins, who has served in the Arkansas House of Representatives since 2011, said instead of running for re-election to his seat, he was confident that his energy would be best suited to Arkansas' number two spot in the executive branch.

He said having a statewide platform would help him and Republicans push not only their political ideas of less government and lower taxes, but it would also allow him to be a bridge between the executive and legislative branches.

"With the experience I have as part of the leadership last (legislative session), I had the opportunity to work with many members of the House and Senate," he said. "I think I would be an extremely effective leader working with both the legislative and executive branch. And from a statewide perch, you have a lot of ability to communicate (your political ideas)."

Collins said during his time in the House, his ideas would largely be confined to his district and would not gain much statewide traction. He said his proposals, which include lower taxes and bringing more jobs to Arkansas, were never able to reach areas south and east of his electoral territory.

"When I first started talking about this in 2010, it was something that was confined to a Fayetteville discussion. A lot of people in Fayetteville and nearby areas came, but it is different if you're talking about somebody's big ideas that will help Arkansans with a statewide perspective. From those two fronts, working with my colleagues plus communicating from a perch to communicate these ideas, I feel I can be even more effective (as lieutenant governor) than in my house seat."

All of his plans to be a bridge between the executive and legislative branches will go even smoother, Collins said, if he is elected to the number two spot along with a Republican governor.

"I actually believe, what I've been talking about the last several years – talking about putting Arkansas into a jobs market and working with people – is something I can help accelerate from the position of lieutenant governor, especially if you consider a partnership with a Republican governor."

Asked what he would do should presumptive Democratic nominee Mike Ross wins the governor's office, Collins said he is prepared to work with him, as well.

"Regardless, we'll be able to move forward and make progress. I've shown that I can work with both the Senate and Gov. Beebe to get plans in place to be good for Arkansas. I have a desire and capability to help Arkansans regardless of who's in office. (As chair of the tax and revenue committee in the House), we passed a series of tax cuts, including the first ever Arkansas reduction in income tax rate which implemented over the next two years will save Arkansans $55 million over the next two years. Plus, we also passed sales tax reduction on food, which will save another $60 million to $70 million per year."

Collins said his career of public service has been about helping everyday Arkansans, something he will continue regardless of his position.

An announcement on his run for lieutenant governor will likely take place shortly after Darr makes his future plans official, Collins said.