Arkansas Democratic Black Caucus president plans to run for District 36 seat against Rep. Charles Blake

Rep. Charles Blake, the incumbent Democratic lawmaker who announced Monday that he plans to run for this third term, will face an opponent from his own party in the 2018 primary.

Darrell Stephens, president of the Arkansas Democratic Black Caucus, told Talk Business & Politics that he plans to officially announce on Sept. 23 his intentions to run for the District 36 seat in the Arkansas General Assembly now held by Rep. Charles Blake of Little Rock.

Stephens, a native of Marianna who now resides in Little Rock, said he plans to run a “grassroots campaigns” where he hopes to canvas the entire district and focus his legislative efforts on the needs of the citizens in Central Arkansas that have been underserved by both parties.

Blake was first elected to his legislature in 2013 and is serving his second term in the Arkansas House, where he represents the urban district that includes a major portion of Pulaski County. Stephens said he has not talked directly with Blake about his intentions to run for the Arkansas House seat, but said his potential Democratic primary opponent is likely aware of his plans.

Stephens said with both the Arkansas House and Senate controlled by the Republican Party, he believes Blake and other Democratic lawmakers are no longer engaged and failing to introduce substantive legislation out of fear that it will get defeated.

“One thing I believe in is grassroots and touching people, and politics start in our community on the (local) level,” Stephens said. “I feel with the state that our (Arkansas) House and Senate is in, we need somebody that can actually be in the community and be transparent so the voters will know what is going on.”

Stephens added that over the past few weeks, he has been going door-to-door speaking with District 36 constituents and has found that many are frustrated that laws are being passed by the General Assembly intended to hurt the underserved.

“Every year, the (Democrats) talk about education, healthcare and jobs. Those are Democratic values regardless, but there is no emphasis on our seniors, our veterans, people with disabilities and our middle class. They are forgotten,” Stephens told Talk Business & Politics.

Stephens also said he was concerned that Blake and other local Democrats have put their support behind charter school expansion in Central Arkansas. He said strong support of public school education in Arkansas and across the U.S. should be a key tenet for any Democratic Party candidate running for office, and especially for the representative of District 36.

But Blake responded Wednesday afternoon that he is “very connected” to District 36.

“I am not going to respond to what Darrell is saying, that’s his opinion. I am very connected in the district that I’ve grown up in and that I represent. My kids go to school in this district, my entire family lives here, I serve on many board and commissions, … and I am a proud member of District 36.”

The two-term Democrat also said his record reflects the needs of his constituents across the district.

“The issues that I push and represent are those that are in the best interest of my neighbors and my community,” he said.

During the recent 91st General Assembly, Blake served on the House Judiciary Committee, the House Aging, Children and Youth, Legislative and Military Affairs Committee, and the Joint Committee on Advanced Communications and Information Technology.

He is currently the President of CenArk Transportation LLC., which specializes in non-emergency medical transportation of patients. Self-employed, Stephens helps people with disabilities find jobs and is also a local union organizer. He was elected in 2015 as president of state Democratic Black Caucus, an arm of the state Democratic Party that promotes the election of African Americans at all levels of public office.

The Democratic primary election for the District 36 seat is May 2018, followed by the general election six months later in November. No other candidates in either party have announced plans to run for the House seat.