Rep. Crawford, Judges Grimes and Terry win contested primary races

Three incumbents in contested races sailed to victory Tuesday night in Sebastian County, with the Sebastian County Clerk’s office showing 13,661 total votes cast among 68,819 registered voters.

In the Fort Smith District Court Judge, Position 1 race, District Judge Sam Terry won with 5,690 votes over Jim O’Hern who had 2,111 votes.

Terry was appointed July 2022 by then Gov. Asa Hutchinson to fill the vacated term of Sebastian County District Judge Claire Borengasser who retired June 1. Terry’s appointed term ends Dec. 31, 2024. He is not allowed to seek election to an appointed post.

O’Hern was elected to the post in 2017 and defeated in March 2020 by Judge Amy Grimes, who now holds the office.

“I’m proud that Fort Smith has chosen to let me continue serving them in District Court. This election was about integrity and character and it’s clear the voters recognized that. Every campaign is hard work and I’m pleased we were able to come out on top,” Terry said in a statement.

In the Fort Smith District Court Judge, Position 3 race, District Judge Amy Grimes won with 6,302 votes over William Whitfield Hyman who had 1,427 votes.

“I’m honored to be able to represent the people of Fort Smith again in District Court. We work hard to make sure that everyone is treated fairly and with respect. This is a testament to the entire district court team and their day-to-day professionalism,” Grimes said in a statement.

According to the Sebastian County Courts website, the district court actions include traffic violations, misdemeanor criminal cases, preliminary felony cases, civil cases, small claims cases and violations of a city ordinance.

In the Arkansas House District 51 race, Rep. Cindy Crawford, R-Fort Smith, received 2,573 votes and Republican challenger Jeff Burks received 759 votes.

Crawford will face Democrat Jane-Ellen Udouj-Kutchka in the November general election.