Monticello Live

Incumbent Republican State Senator Ben Gilmore, a long-time resident of Crossett, announced his intention to seek re-election to the Arkansas
State Senate. Sen. Gilmore was first elected to his seat in 2020 and currently represents Senate District 26, which includes Ashley, Bradley, Chicot, Drew, and portions of Cleveland, Desha, and Lincoln Counties.

However, state legislative maps were recently redrawn by the State Board of Apportionment as part of the once-every-decade redistricting process. As a result, Senate District 26 will become Senate District 1, which will include Ashley, Bradley, Chicot, Drew, Cleveland, and portions of Grant, Jefferson, and Lincoln Counties.

Sen. Gilmore has been a strong, conservative leader throughout his first term. His voting record earned a 100% “A+” rating from the Arkansas Family Council Action Committee, whose mission is to promote, protect, and strengthen traditional family in our state. He was also named as a 2021 Statesman Award winner by AFCA.

Sen. Gilmore issued the following statement:

“It has been an honor to represent and be a bold conservative voice for the people of southeast Arkansas. I am proud to say that I have kept the promises I made as a candidate, and I am committed to be the leader you elected last November. As your Senator, I will continue to fight for pro-growth policies that will best position southeast Arkansas to compete economically; high-speed broadband for our schools, families, and businesses; lower taxes; less government spending; and solutions to the problems facing our forestry and agricultural industries. As both a Republican and as a Christian conservative, protecting our shared family values is the most important thing to me. That means safeguarding our individual liberties that are God-given and to ensure Arkansas is the best possible place to live, work, do business, and raise a family.”

Sen. Gilmore, who has received the endorsement of Arkansas Right to Life, is 100% pro-life and a consistent defender of the Second Amendment. He was also named the 2021 Outstanding Legislator of the Year by the Arkansas Forestry Association/AFA Education Foundation for his commitment to our state’s forestry industry and community.

During his first term, Sen. Gilmore led the charge on several commonsense, conservative laws, three of which are listed below.

Act 740 (Lead Sponsor) – A pro-life law that provides continuity of care and will require abortion facilities to have transfer agreements with hospitals and ambulances to handle botched abortions and life-threatening complications from dangerous abortion procedures. The new law also requires them to provide women information on reporting human trafficking.

Act 725 (Lead Sponsor) – This law will remove barriers to opportunity by helping workers entering an occupation that requires a licensing fee to have that initial fee waived. Arkansas entrepreneurs and workers will now be able to break away from the cycle of government dependency by increasing access to licenses. This bill passed both chambers unanimously.

Act 451 (Lead Senate Sponsor) – This law will help the forestry industry in Arkansas, especially in Southeast Arkansas, in that it will allow the State Highway Commission to issue special permits for the transportation of forestry equipment making it easier for the forestry industry to operate.

To learn more about Sen. Gilmore and his re-election campaign, please visit www.BenGilmoreForSenate.com or his Facebook page, HERE.

About Senator Ben Gilmore

Senator Ben Gilmore was elected to the Senate in November 2020 and was sworn in on January 11, 2021. Before being elected, Ben served as Deputy Chief of Staff and Communications Director for Lieutenant Governor Tim Griffin, where he boldly advocated for state government reform, lower taxes, and STEM education. Ben previously served as a Field Representative for Congressman Bruce Westerman in the Fourth Congressional District, where he worked on important issues facing the forestry and agricultural industries in southeast Arkansas. While attending the University of Arkansas at Monticello, Ben worked at the Crossett Public Library where he served in the Public Relations role. While at the library, Ben advocated for reading and STEM education. Ben is a small business owner and consultant specializing in strategic communications and marketing. Ben has actively served the community and supported economic development efforts in southeast Arkansas. Ben has served on the Crossett Chamber of Commerce Board, the Crossett Beautification Committee, the Crossett Committee for the Future, Ashley County United Fund Board, and currently serves on the Friends of the Library Board. Ben is a graduate of the Delta Regional Authority’s Leadership Institute, FBI Citizens Academy, and the Union County Chamber of Commerce Leadership Class. Ben is a skilled violinist, a member of the First Baptist Church of Crossett and has served as Trustee of the Church. He is also a member of the Crossett Chamber of Commerce, the National Rifle Association (NRA), Arkansas Farm Bureau, and the National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB).

This entry was posted on Monday, December 13th, 2021 at 12:39 am and is filed under Elections. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.