Sen. James Sturch to seek second term in the State Senate

State Sen. James Sturch, R-Batesville, will seek another term in the Senate. Sturch was first elected to the Senate in 2018 after serving two terms in the Arkansas House of Representatives. After the recent redistricting, Senate District 22 includes all of Independence and Sharp counties and parts of Cleburne, Fulton, Izard, Lawrence and Stone counties.

“Our part of the state deserves a conservative, common-sense voice of reason,” said Sturch. “I’ve proven to be that as I’ve worked for better educational opportunities, more limited government, and fought to ensure we keep the freedoms to make the personal decisions we each feel are best for our families.”

Sturch’s life in public service began as a teenager nearly 20 years ago when he volunteered for Mike Huckabee’s gubernatorial re-election campaign. Since then, he has served on local, state, and federal campaigns which led him to first run for State Representative in 2014.

As a member of the Senate Education Committee, Sturch has been an advocate for higher education opportunities for students, parental input in their children’s education and a supporter of giving more control back to local school districts.

“I’ve always believed the government closest to the people is best” said Sturch. “As a conservative, I remain opposed to efforts that attempt to transfer local control to bigger government agencies or programs.”

In addition to the Education Committee, Sturch also serves on the Senate Agriculture, Forestry, and Economic Development Committee and is Chairman of both Senate Rules and Educational Institutions for Legislative Joint Auditing.

Sturch is a graduate of Southside High School and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, where he earned degrees in political science and secondary education. Sturch is a certified high school social studies teacher and has completed his master’s degree in public administration. He currently teaches at Southside Public Schools.

“I am very grateful for the opportunity my constituents have given me to serve as their State Senator. I look forward to meeting new constituents and earning their support in this next campaign.”