Green seeking Congressional seat to fight for a healthy democracy

Dr. Terri Yarbrough Green has been active in the Democratic Party. She’d recently retired as a medical pathologist and thought she’d spend most of her time traveling.

As time passed, she noticed that no Democrats had filed to unseat U.S. Rep. Rick Crawford, R-Jonesboro, in the 1st Congressional District. Although she’s never held a single political office, Green told Talk Business & Politics she decided to take the leap and will challenge the incumbent congressman this fall.

“I’ve always followed politics very closely,” she said. “I’ve always had an interest. I never thought I’d have the opportunity to do it. I couldn’t stand the thought of nobody else on the ballot. … Someone said I should run. That’s all the encouragement I needed. Democracy is under severe threat, and I think people are seeing it.”

Adopted at birth, Green is originally from El Paso, Texas. Her father was in the U.S. Navy during World War II and was a football coach. She received a bachelor’s degree in law from Baylor University and planned to become a lawyer. But her career took a different path.

She ended up getting a medical degree from the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio. Green became a medical pathologist and moved to Northeast Arkansas in 1988.

Green said she knows unseating Crawford, who is seeking his ninth term, will be a monumental challenge in a deep red district. Crawford has easily won each primary and general election challenge he’s had since being first elected in 2010.

The district was once the most Democratic-leaning district in the entire country. A Republican had not held the seat since Reconstruction following the Civil War until Crawford won it.

The district includes all of the counties along the Mississippi River in the state and all the counties in Northeast Arkansas. It stretches into Ozark Mountains and goes as far west as Boone County in the northwest and Lonoke County in central Arkansas. Jonesboro is the largest population center in the district.

The Cook Political Report, a non-partisan political analyst organization, rates the seat as solidly Republican, meaning it doesn’t see any serious chance Crawford will lose. It’s rated as the most Republican district in the state with a +23R rating. All four of Arkansas’ congressional seats are held by the GOP and all are rated as solidly Republican.

However, the Report and most pundits project that the Democrats will win the U.S. House this November and several GOP held seats will go from red to blue. President Donald Trump’s favorability ratings have consistently hovered below 40% and it could impact GOP candidates for office.

Historically, the president’s party losses seats during the midterm elections. Skyrocketing fuel prices caused by the unpopular war with Iran, inflation, rising healthcare costs and other factors are at the top of voters’ minds, according to numerous recent polls.

Since Trump’s election in 2024, there have been more than 30 special elections nationwide and Democrats have vastly outperformed Republicans in nearly all the contests.

Green said she thinks Crawford has tried to do some things to help get a new Farm Bill out of committee and help farmers, but for the most part he and many of his colleagues have served as a “rubber stamp” for many of Trump’s policies.

“It seems like there are no checks or balances on the executive branch. It’s not healthy for a Democracy,” she said.

If elected, Green said her top priority would be affordability. She said many families in the country live paycheck to paycheck and when gas prices rise by 35% and diesel prices rise by 50%, it has a significant impact.

“The legislative branch has to assert its power,” she said. “Once it does that, we will get back on a path to bringing our economy back.”

Green said her background as a medical pathologist will aid her in diagnosing what’s wrong with the federal government. She’s worked in many rural areas and understands what happens when systems fail.

A medical pathologist examines cells, body tissues, and fluids, and others to help diagnose issues with a patient. Green said she plans to take those same techniques to Washington, D.C.

“I’m running for Congress because Democracy only works when people have real choices in leadership and a government that works for working families, not just wealthy insiders,” she said. “I’m ready to fight for the people in the First Congressional District … civility and integrity need to be brought back to Washington, D.C.”