Altes endorses Glidewell in Senate District runoff against Rep. Pitsch

Former Sen. Denny Altes, R-Fort Smith, who finished last in the recent three-person GOP primary for the Senate District 8 seat, is throwing his support behind Frank Glidewell. A June 19 runoff is set for Glidewell and Rep. Mat Pitsch, R-Fort Smith.

Glidewell and Pitsch finished first and second, respectively, in the GOP primary for the Senate seat. Glidewell also defeated Altes (65.07% to 34.93%) in the special election for the Senate seat. Pitsch, a sitting legislator, was not allowed by state law to run in the special election. Glidewell faces Libertarian candidate Whitfield Hyman in the Aug. 14 general election for the special election.

A three-way race for the general election and the special election were the result of Sen. Jake Files, R-Fort Smith, resigning after pleading guilty to federal charges, including bank fraud.

After numerous attempts by Talk Business & Politics to contact Altes, he responded Monday via Facebook Messenger with this statement: “I’m endorsing Frank.” Altes did not respond to a follow up question.

Glidewell said he welcomes the support from Altes and his voters.

“I was delighted to learn that former senator Altes has endorsed me for the runoff election. I have ran a campaign based on conservative values and not being beholden to special interests,” Glidewell noted in a statement. “As I stated in my comments when the results were announced on election night, Denny is a friend and a fellow conservative. We might not have agreed on every issue, but we are aligned in our pro-life, pro-2nd amendment and pro-business voting records. Mr. Altes stood strong against pressure to vote for higher taxes and I respect that greatly. I would welcome the vote of Mr. Altes’ supporters for the runoff election to ensure that Sebastian County has a pro-business conservative vote in the state senate.”

Pitsch has received the endorsement of Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R), U.S. Rep. Steve Womack, R-Rogers, and Rex Terry, the second vice chair of the Sebastian County Republican Party and the former chair of the county party. Gunner DeLay, chairman of the Sebastian County Republican Party, said the local party will not make an endorsement in the race.

“Mat Pitsch is unquestionably the right choice for the Arkansas Senate,” Rep. Womack noted in endorsing Pitsch. “He works tirelessly for the River Valley region.  He continues to be a dynamic force at the local and state level – Mat brings relevant and effective leadership to the state senate and the people of the Fort Smith Region.”

Pitsch sent this statement to Talk Business & Politics after the Altes endorsement of Glidewell: “I’m honored to have received both Governor Asa Hutchinson’s and Congressman Steve Womack’s endorsement of my campaign. They both continue to work making Arkansas stronger and I’m pleased they recognize the importance of this race. I would encourage voters to make their own determination about the importance of any endorsement and what it says about the candidate and their vision for the future,”

Jon Gilmore, a Hutchinson campaign spokesman, said Monday the Governor has no comment on the race beyond his statement endorsing Pitsch.

Glidewell served two years as Sebastian County Judge, and 12 years as a member of the county’s Quorum Court. He also served six years in the Arkansas House of Representatives, and is a veteran of the Air National Guard. He’s been in the electrical contracting business for 35 years.

Pitsch, a former instructor at the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith, was elected to the Arkansas House of Representatives in 2015 (District 76) and was named House Majority Leader in 2016, during the fiscal session. Pitsch has served on the House Transportation Committee and the Agriculture, Forestry and Economic Development Committee. During the 91st General Assembly, Pitsch was a sponsor of the Tax Reform and Relief Act of 2017, one of Gov. Hutchinson’s primary objectives for the session. He also is a consultant to the Western Arkansas Planning and Development District (WAPDD) for the Western Arkansas Intermodal Authority.