From the Desk of the Chairman

Greetings, RPA!

Our first quarter in 2022 has kept us on the ground running, ready to win big in our busiest election cycle yet. In the most recent filing period from February 22 to March 1, our staff filed over 200 candidates for statewide office, a record number of Republicans in Arkansas.



This comes in conjunction with hundreds of voters who filed for membership in their county committees. With two new county committees formed since January, our county committees are reporting record-high numbers of Republicans filed for local office, even in counties that were previously Democrat strongholds. In preparation for November, the RPA is working hard to ensure that we maintain our existing red districts and turn some deep blue districts RED! We’ve got some work to do!

Jonelle Fulmer

Chairman, Republican Party of Arkansas 

Events and County Committees

• January 25 – National Poll Worker Recruitment Day: The RPA staff joined with the RNC in a social media and digital campaign to recruit poll workers across the country. Arkansas gained some new volunteers to be on the frontlines of election integrity!
• February 1- 4 – Chairman Fulmer and Executive Director Sarah Jo Reynolds attended the RNC Winter Meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah.
• February 22 – March 1 – Filing Period: The staff filed over 200 candidates for state office.
• February 22 – The RPA’s Filing Night Watch Party drew a large crowd at Headquarters to celebrate the record number of Republicans filed for office.
• February 26 – African American Coalition of Arkansas Veteran’s Event: Chairman Jonelle Fulmer joined with the AACA as they celebrated and recognized veterans in Arkansas at the RPA Headquarters.
• County Committees and Lincoln Day Dinners in February and March 2022: Ouachita, Marion, Benton, Perry, Boone, Mississippi, Drew, Yell, and Pulaski Counties.
• March 26 – RNC Election Integrity Training: County Chairmen, election commissioners, and other county representatives joined staff of the RPA and the Republican National Committee for Election Integrity Training.
•  March 28 – March 31 – Chairman Fulmer and Executive Director Sarah Jo Reynolds attended Spring training with the RNC in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.

Election Integrity Training

The RPA hosted staff from the Republican National Committee on Saturday, March 26 at Rockefeller Republican Center. County Chairmen, election commissioners, and poll worker volunteers from around the state joined in training for upcoming election. In the 2020 election, poll workers and poll watchers were essential in reporting on abuses of election law, and the state and national parties have committed to equipping more voters to be a part of that mission. If you want to be involved in the effort, please contact us!

The Legislature at Work

The 93^rd General Assembly just completed the State Fiscal Session, running over 30 days long. Throughout February and March, the Republican-led legislature was committed to wise appropriation of budgetary concerns. Among the list of accomplishments were boosting pay for Arkansas State Troopers, expanding the number of available beds in the State Prison system, raising funding for veterans’ homes, and increasing funds for public education and a public safety equipment grant program.

The legislature also recently elected leadership for the 94^th General Assembly. The Senate elected Sen. Bart Hester to serve as Senate Pro Tempore, and the House re-elected Matthew Shepherd to his fourth term as Speaker of the House. Congratulations to both of these Republican leaders! 

News Stories of Note

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette: OPINION | JONELLE FULMER: Women lead

Chairman Jonelle Fulmer wrote in a guest opinion to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette about the Republican Party’s contribution to women’s history in Arkansas. Chairman Fulmer discusses her own entrance into public service and politics, key women in Party History, and the contribution of our affiliate organizations like the Arkansas Federation of Republican women.

KATV: Filing period to run for office in Arkansas officially closed

Arkansas Republican Party Chairwoman, Jonelle Fulmer, said this is the highest number of Republicans to have filed. “It went amazingly well. We had probably over 200 candidates come through and file with the Republican Party of Arkansas, and we're going to see a lot of primaries, which is great as a majority party. We expect that,” Fulmer said.

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette: Republicans outnumber Democrats more than 2 to 1 in Arkansas’ candidate filings

Republican Party of Arkansas Chairwoman Jonelle Fulmer said the party saw a record number of candidates seek to run for state and federal offices during the filing period, which ran from Feb. 22 to March 1. "It's obvious that our principles are truly representative of the state," she said in a statement last week. "I look forward to a busy primary season and an overwhelmingly Red Arkansas in November."

Fox News: Tom Cotton slams Biden for using strategic oil reserves: 'This is not just a gimmick, it's dangerous'

Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., said the Biden administration's excessive use of oil reserves is putting the United States in danger. Cotton said on "The Ingraham Angle" that he believes the Biden administration is using the oil reserves to help the Democrats' chances of keeping control of Congress in the November midterms.

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette: OPINION | BRUCE WESTERMAN & DAN NEWHOUSE: Arkansas model

We are proud to bring members of the Congressional Western Caucus to Arkansas' 4th District to see this for themselves. The Western Caucus is a group of lawmakers from rural communities across the country who understand the impact federal policy and regulations on our lands, water, and agriculture have on the livelihoods of our constituents. On this field tour, we will highlight Arkansas' state-of-the-art lumber mill bringing jobs and economic resurgence to rural America, quartz mining, and a hydroelectric dam that generates clean, renewable baseload energy for the region. Perhaps most importantly, we will explore the state's private and federal lands, learning firsthand how Arkansans deploy management practices that will prevent and mitigate catastrophic wildfires in the West.

Upcoming Events

• April 23 – Fourth District Committee Meeting
•  April 30 – First District Committee Meeting
• May 7 – Second District Committee Meeting
• May 24 – Primary Election Day
• June 4 - SAVE THE DATE: State Committee Meeting at Rockefeller Republican Center
• July 23 - State Convention at Embassy Suites in Little Rock