Former GOP chair Doyle Webb jumps in Lt. Governor’s race

Former Arkansas GOP chairman Doyle Webb announced Tuesday (May 4) he will enter the race for Lt. Governor in 2022.

Webb, a former state senator from Benton, previously worked in the Lt. Governor’s office during Win Rockefeller’s term in office.

Webb was chairman of the Republican Party of Arkansas from 2008-2020, a period of time that saw Republicans become the majority party in the state. Earlier this year, he was named by Attorney General Leslie Rutledge to assist with the legislative redistricting through the Board of Apportionment. Webb said he resigned that position last week.

He said his race for Lt. Governor would center on “life, liberty and lower taxes” as a platform.

Two other candidates – Sen. Jason Rapert, R-Bigelow, and Surgeon General Greg Bledsoe – have also announced for the post. No Democrat has declared for Lt. Governor in 2022.

Webb is married to Barbara Womack Webb, who currently serves on the Arkansas Supreme Court.

Webb has launched a website, which can be viewed here.

“After numerous calls from Arkansans across our state, I have decided to offer myself as a candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas in 2022. Serving the people of Arkansas and the Republican Party have been my life’s work. I believe I am the most qualified candidate in the race, but I will not take Arkansans’ support for granted. I will be running a full-time campaign over the next year and a half, getting to every corner of the state I have come to know so well. As your next lieutenant governor I will fight for life, liberty, and lower taxes. I am grateful for the overwhelming support of this announcement, and my experienced team and I are ready to hit the ground running,” Webb said.

“This election is about the future of our party, not the past, and the continuation of conservative government in Arkansas as demanded by our citizens. There is only one candidate in this race that has current experience of being on the front lines fighting against the Left, casting votes and legislating to protect life, defend liberty, and keeping state agencies accountable – and that is me,” Rapert said. “The people of Arkansas have elected me to serve four times since 2010 and I believe they will elect me to serve as Arkansas Lt. Governor in 2022. We are leading this race and I welcome everyone to join our team at www.JasonRapert.com.”

“We welcome Doyle Webb to the Lt. Governor’s race and look forward to discussing a wide range of issues with him,” said Bledsoe. “However, our metric does not change. We fundamentally believe the people of Arkansas want a new type of candidate and not more of the same. Our state needs new ideas and faces— individuals with significant private sector experience— not the same revolving door of career politicians running for every office.”