Little Rock banker to run for Congress (Updated)

Delta Trust and Bank CEO French Hill says he will run for the Republican nomination for Arkansas’ 2nd Congressional District.

U.S. Rep. Tim Griffin, R-Little Rock, is not seeking a third term. Democrat Pat Hays, former North Little Rock mayor, has already announced for the seat and Rep. Ann Clemmer, R-Bryant, is expected to enter the GOP primary on Wednesday.

Hill, 56, filed his paperwork to establish a committee with the Federal Election Commission on Monday (Oct. 29), according to a campaign announcement. He had previously announced that he would seek a Little Rock House seat in the Arkansas legislature, prior to Griffin’s retirement announcement.

“I’m running for Congress because we need more business leaders in Congress – not more career politicians. I grew up in the Second District and live and work here today,” said Hill. “Everyday at my business my priorities are helping Arkansas’s entrepreneurs start and grow their own businesses and encouraging families to save and invest. I know first hand the challenges businesses and families in Arkansas face, and in Congress, I will fight every day for policies that spur economic growth and job creation. I will demand greater accountability at every level of the federal government and do away with job-killing policies like ObamaCare and Dodd-Frank. Representing the Second District in Congress would be an honor, and I look forward to working hard to earn the trust and support of Arkansans in the months ahead.”

HILL BACKGROUND
Hill is a former President George H.W. Bush administration official having served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Treasury.

He has served as CEO of Delta Trust and Bank since its formation in 1999. Previously, he worked at First Commercial Corp., a large financial institution that eventually sold to Regions Corp.

Hill is a trustee on the George W. Donaghey Foundation, a board member of Arkansas Children’s Hospital, past chairman of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock College of Business Advisory Board, a board member of the Quapaw Area Council, Boy Scouts of America and past president of The Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce’s Fifty for the Future. He is serving as the 2013 chairman of the board of the Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce.

He and his wife, Martha, have two children, Liza and Payne, and they attend the Cathedral of St. Andrew Catholic Church. Hill is a 1975 graduate of Little Rock Catholic High School and a 1979 magna cum laude graduate in economics from Vanderbilt University in Nashville.

UPATED INFO: Also entering the 2nd District race on Tuesday was Conrad Reynolds, who ran for the GOP U.S. Senate nomination in 2010.

Since the 2010 race, Reynolds has been working to create an Arkansas Military Veterans Hall of Fame, an organization that seeks to honor a select number of Arkansas heroes every year.

“I believe that following the retirement of my friend, Tim Griffin, we must continue to have a strong, conservative leader in Congress to represent the values of central Arkansas,” Reynolds said.

Reynolds and his wife have four children. He is a member of the American Legion, the VFW, the Kiwanis Club, the NRA, and the New Life Church.

“I believe that Americans are looking for a leader they can trust. They want someone in Congress who speaks for them and who gets things done,” said Reynolds. “That’s what I did in the United States Army, and that is what I will do when I go to Congress.”

THE 4TH DISTRICT RACE
Also open during the 2014 election cycle is the 4th Congressional District. First termer U.S. Rep. Tom Cotton, R-Dardanelle, is challenging the re-election bid of U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Ark.

Announced Republican candidates for the 4th District are Hot Springs businessman and Tommy Moll, Arkansas Rep. Bruce Westerman, R-Hot Springs. Janis Percefull, an educator from Hot Springs, is the only announced Democratic candidate.

Following redistricting based on the 2010 census, the Fort Smith and Northwest Arkansas areas are split between the 3rd and 4th Congressional Districts.

Madison County is now in the 4th District.

Crawford County is split almost evenly down the middle with the western half in the 3rd District and the eastern half in the 4th. The city of Alma is split down the middle, with two city precincts voting in the 3rd District and 2 precincts voting in the 4th District. Franklin County was moved out of the 3rd District and into the 4th District. Lavaca and environs in the northeastern corner of Sebastian County are now in the 4th District. Roughly one-third of Sebastian County below Greenwood and below Fort Chaffee and Chaffee Crossing is in the 4th District.

U.S. Rep. Rick Crawford, R-Jonesboro, is expected to seek re-election to Arkansas’ 1st Congressional District, and U.S. Rep. Steve Womack, R-Rogers, is expected to seek a third-term to the 3rd Congressional District.