Rep. Pitsch receives Gov. Hutchinson endorsement in primary runoff against Glidewell

Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who handily won the Republican primary for his second term, is endorsing Rep. Mat Pitsch, R-Fort Smith, in the June 19 GOP primary runoff election against former Rep. Frank Glidewell for the Senate District 8 seat.

“As the Republican Majority Leader in the Arkansas House of Representatives, Mat Pitsch helped Republican candidates win races all across Arkansas,” Gov. Hutchinson noted in a statement sent to Talk Business & Politics. “Mat is a consistent conservative and someone I rely upon for his common sense approach. I’m delighted to endorse Mat for the State Senate and encourage you to vote for him.”

Pitsch said the endorsement shows the importance of the Senate seat in Little Rock.

“I’m humbled and honored by the governor’s support. This is an important race for the Fort Smith region and shows how relevant our communities are on the state level,” Pitsch said.

The Glidewell campaign sent this statement: “With all due respect to Governor Hutchinson, I am not surprised the Little Rock establishment is lining up behind Mat Pitsch. He’s promised/sold his vote many times already to the special interests on tax increases, expanding Obamacare and the liberal agenda. I am going to stand with the people of Ft. Smith and Sebastian county. I will fight for their conservative values and say no to the special interests. The endorsement I’m most proud of is the one that the hard working folks of Ft. Smith and Sebastian county gave me on Tuesday.”

Glidewell and Pitsch finished first and second, respectively, in a three-way GOP Primary for the Senate seat. Former Sen. Denny Altes, R-Fort Smith, was third. Glidewell also defeated Altes (65.07% to 34.93%) in the special election for the Senate seat. 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.

During the primary, Glidewell said he would vote for Jan Morgan, Gov. Hutchinson’s opponent in the GOP gubernatorial primary.

Gunner DeLay, chairman of the Sebastian County Republican Party, was surprised to learn of Hutchinson’s endorsement of Pitsch, but said the county committee will remain neutral.

“As a party we will not be taking any position. I’m committed to staying neutral on it no matter what,” DeLay said, adding that committee members are “certainly free” to pick a side.

One committee member has. The second vice chair of the Sebastian County Republican Party and the former chair of the county party Rex Terry also is endorsing Pitsch.

“I will continue to support Rep. Mat Pitsch as our next senator. Mat has a proven record of leadership and accomplishment in the legislature,” Terry said in a statement to Talk Business Politics. “He has the experience and the expertise to represent our district effectively. Additionally, he was clear in his support for Governor Hutchinson when asked publicly about it during the campaign. Mr. Glidewell was an apparent supporter of Ms. Morgan. His campaign was almost entirely negative, focusing on issues that have been settled now for years, such as his constant railing against ‘Obamacare,’ over which the legislature has little control, and for unproven assertions of problems with the Medicaid program which is so important to so many.”

Terry stressed he was speaking only for himself and not the county party.

It’s uncertain if Altes will endorse one of his former opponents. Repeated attempts by Talk Business & Politics to reach Altes have been unsuccessful.

The endorsement aside, DeLay said a challenge for both candidates will be to get voters back to the polls. He estimates the turnout could be as low as 1,000 voters.

“It’s a special (election), in the middle of June. People are already taking vacations. The candidates are going to have a hard time rolling people out,” DeLay said.