Arkansas House District 71 encompasses Maumelle, Marche and parts of North Little Rock. Both candidates in the race say they were inspired to run because of issues they encountered in their careers.
Incumbent Republican Rep. Brandon Achor has been in office for nearly two years. He and his wife opened their pharmacy in Maumelle in 2019. Achor says hearing patients' stories first hand inspired him to run for office.
"Being sick is scary, and they don't want to be scared alone. That approach to that professional side, to me, marries extremely well with what people want out of a politician," said Achor. "They don't want someone who's going to solve every problem, they want somebody who believes in committing to not making sure they're alone in trying to solve whatever that is."
His Democratic challenger, Cassandra Green, is a lifelong educator. She says seeing families navigate the state’s education system drove her to run for public office.
"I had a few people come to me, and most of them have said, Cassandra, we need leadership at the Capitol, and we need a voice to represent the things that we truly care about: their income, how they support their families. We have a lot of people, too, who want to start small businesses."
Education laws have become a hallmark of Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders' administration. She says that if parents are given money to take their children out of public school, she wants to make sure the funding tied to that student remains with the public school.
"What are you going to do to provide support to those schools that you've deemed a failing school with a 'D' or 'F' so they can have the support they need to get off the 'D' or 'F' list?"
Achor said although he is not appointed to the House Education Committee, he appreciates the Arkansas LEARNS Act providing more options for parents. He says he hasn’t yet seen anything he would change.
"I have a great relationship with, certainly our charter school, our public school administrators in our district, and nothing has been brought to my attention that says, 'This is an urgent matter, this is a hole that we didn't see that wasn't addressed, can you please bring this up?.'"
Achor also says he is impressed with the specialized programs he has seen in schools in his district.
In the 2025 legislative session, Republican leaders have said they will focus on higher education, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs at colleges and universities will likely be up for a vote. While that is a popular political talking point, both candidates focused more on funding to make higher education more accessible.
"I think we need to look at lowering the cost of our programs, not just teacher education, but our other programs, because we have a lot of areas that we need people to go into," Green said. "I think, in order to do that, there should be measures in place for minorities to have a level playing field when it comes to admissions."
Achor says he also wants to focus on where institutions of higher education are putting their money, and to make sure the state is investing its money wisely.
"I know that DEI is obviously a very contentious buzzword. When it comes to higher education, I want to see, what's the return on our current investment, and what are the needs of the state to remain as autonomous and Arkansas-owned as it can be?"
Both said the economy was one area of concern for the people of House District 71, and both support Gov. Sanders’ efforts to lower income tax rates, as long as it continues to be done in a responsible way.
"I am definitely for a cut in income taxes, and even the elimination of those taxes," said Green. "My district is full of working families and small businesses, and they want to provide the best life that they can. They want to live, work, and play right there in the district, and they need more money in their pocket."
Achor said, "I think Gov. Sanders has taken the right approach to do it slowly, methodically, see where that fine line is. Is it zero? Is it 0.1? Where is Arkansas, as a rural with a high social need, [we] have to maintain a certain balance. I am appreciative of a governor that takes the autonomy and the identity of the state first when pursuing legislation."
On the issue of abortion, Achor recently sponsored a bill encouraging voters to oppose the abortion amendment that had been slated for this November’s ballot. He clarified that while he opposes abortion, he understands there are cases in which medical intervention is warranted. He felt the language of the amendment was too broad.
"I do believe the state has the responsibility to protect an unborn baby. I believe the state has the responsibility to protect the life of the mother. The amendment tried to address some of those issues, but it also had an open-ended termination length of about 15 weeks, I can't remember exactly. I think that is where the amendment fell short. I would like to see significantly more investment and concentration on lowering our teen pregnancy rate as a whole, but also, what are the measures that actually impact and infringe on the safety of the mother."
As an educator and caregiver, Green said she had experience with families facing this difficult decision, and she supports the right to abortion access.
"A woman has the right to make the best decision for her. As an educator going into my 29th year, I'm reminded of two situations where I had students between the ages of 10 and 14 who were molested by a family member. Those families had a right to make a decision, and both of them made decisions that they felt were best for the child, and both of those led to abortion."
Turning to LGBTQIA+ legislation, Green said she believes that people should have the right to live in whatever way they choose. She says that applies to families seeking gender-affirming care for their children.
"Parents have a right to decide within their home. We are in office to ensure Arkansans are safe, they are healthy, and they're better, and what better way to ensure that, in that we should allow Arkansans make their own decisions."
Achor said that he believes LGBTQIA+ identifying adults should be free to make their own decisions. When it comes to questions of gender and minors, he believes there are aspects of care that should not be endorsed by the state.
"I'm always going to push towards the parents. I think the state has the safety net responsibility to provide access and resources to help guide people through their identity development, but as for as endorsing putting a knife in somebody's hand for someone who hasn't gone through puberty yet; I think that's putting the cart before the horse."
In her final thoughts, Green said she is proud to call Arkansas home, and for it to be its best, the state needs to roll with the changes.
"Arkansas has changed a lot," Green said. "I think where we are failing right now, is that we are not reflective of what Arkansas is right now, and what it should be. In order for that to take place we have to first acknowledge that it's different, and secondly, we have to be willing and open to embrace the changes that we've seen."
Achor reflected on his first term and what he found to be the most surprising aspects of holding a public office.
"One thing I walked away with was just an overwhelming respect for public office, but also an enthusiasm for the process overall. The legislature, our government, operates as a business and has people who work full time that this is their career. There's jobs, and there's agencies — it's amazing to me to see the volume of people who are genuinely excited to go work in government, and who are genuinely dedicated to making a positive impact."
Residents of House District 71 will see both candidates on their ballot as they step into the voting booth.
