Retired Army Col. Marcus Jones to challenge U.S. Rep. French Hill

Marcus Jones, a retired Army Colonel, said Tuesday (Oct. 17) he will run as a Democrat to challenge incumbent U.S. Rep. French Hill, R-Little Rock.

Jones filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission to formalize his campaign for Arkansas’s Second Congressional District yesterday.

“French Hill isn’t a bad guy, he’s just the wrong guy,” Jones said. “Arkansas is the best state in the country. We shouldn’t be stagnating. My years of service protecting our nation compel me to run for this position, because we can do better.

“As our congressman, I will fight to ensure every hard-working Arkansan can achieve their God-given potential. Together, we will build a fair system that doesn’t knock you down every time you get a little bit ahead. We will win this race by ignoring the chaos in Washington and focusing on the issues that matter most to our families here in Central Arkansas.”

Jones criticized Hill’s votes on repealing healthcare, blocking the infrastructure bill, and not reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act.

On September 30, Jones retired from the United States Army after 29 years of active service, including multiple deployments to Iraq and Kuwait as a field artillery officer and assignments to South Korea as the Director of the 8th Army Joint Fires Element and Norway as a Program Director at NATO’s Joint Warfare Centre.

For his final military assignment, he served as the senior Army advisor to the Arkansas Army National Guard at Camp Robinson.

Jones said his service included supervising “vital national security efforts, including Top Secret strategic responses to North Korean provocations and targeting to eliminate extremist terrorist groups in Iraq.”

“Arkansans want effective public servants who deliver solutions to the problems Central Arkansas families face every day,” said Jones. “Whether it’s a veteran in Heber Springs, a student at UCA, a farmer in White County, or a working single parent in Little Rock, Arkansans want the same things: fair wages, good schools, and healthcare that doesn’t bankrupt you.”

Jones graduated from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, where he met his wife of 29 years, Carrie. He also holds master’s degrees from Webster University in Management and Leadership and the U.S. Army War College in Strategic Studies.

“I was lucky enough to serve our country and have the support of a loving family who kept me grounded and sustained me through multiple deployments. No matter where I served, I never lost my love of Arkansas, because growing up here taught me how to be a successful Solider. But now, our families don’t have the same opportunities that I had. We are headed in the wrong direction,” Jones said in a press release.

Jones plans to file on Nov. 6 at the State Capitol and will hold a public kickoff event at the Villa Marre in Little Rock on Thursday, Nov. 9.

The Second Congressional District, includes parts of Pulaski and Cleburne counties and all of Saline, Faulkner, Conway, White, Perry, and Van Buren counties.