Democrat James “Rus” Russell is challenging Republican incumbent Rep. Bruce Westerman for Arkansas' 4th Congressional District seat in Congress.
Calling it an uphill battle is an understatement for Russell, as Westerman has won the seat with two-thirds of the vote or more in each election since 2016. Russell said he understands the challenge.
"If I have spent my entire life fighting anyway, then it needs to be fights worth having. And this is one of those fights," Russell said. "You’re fighting for people who have been taught that they cannot stand up for themselves. So for me, it’s supremely important to be that voice to let them know that, no, your voice does matter.”
Russell lives in Little Rock where he runs a counseling practice with his wife. He previously ran as a Democrat to challenge U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton, but switched to the Congressional race last October. He also ran unsuccessfully in the 2022 Democratic gubernatorial primary.
He doesn’t live in the 4th Congressional District, which encompasses the southwest portion of the state, part of Central Arkansas and areas north of Little Rock. Still, Russell said he has deep ties to South Arkansas. Several generations of his family lived and farmed in the region, and he has lived there before.
He plans to move back to the district if elected, he said.
Westerman has been in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2014. If he wins in November, it will be his eighth term in Washington. The Hot Springs native has an undefeated record in the ruby-red district.
Westerman said he thinks voters appreciate the work he’s done in his most recent term in Congress as chair of the House Natural Resources Committee.
“And those are mostly bipartisan bills [coming out of the House Natural Resources Committee]. You’ve got to be able to find agreement in areas where you can agree if you want to get bills actually passed out of committee, passed out of the house and on the president’s desk," he said. "I’m very proud of the work we’ve been able to do.”
The Wetland Conservation and Access Improvement Act and Modernizing Access to Our Public Waters Act are both bills that became law in 2025 that passed through the Natural Resources Committee with bipartisan support.
Both Westerman and Russell see an issue when it comes to inflation and the cost of living. Westerman, however, has a more positive view of the economy.
“I think the economy is actually strong, if you look at the number of jobs that are out there, if you look at the investment growth in the economy," Westerman said. "The reality is that inflation is still too high.”
The October jobs report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows the economy added 29,000 jobs in September.
According to the congressman, inflation is driven by high energy costs as a result of the war in Iran. If the conflict is resolved, much of the inflation will ease, Westerman said. To him energy costs are foundational to the entire economy, so when those go down, things will stabilize. Westerman voted against a war powers resolution meant to rein in the war in Iran.
Russell has a different view. He said inflation is partly being driven by the war, but sees a larger issue at play.
"The biggest driving factor behind all that is corporate greed, because we’re looking at stagnant wages while CEO benefits and shareholder values constantly are going up. So there’s definitely economic drivers being created. It’s just not actually making it to the people who need this to survive," Russell said.
To Russell, one way to combat the affordability crisis is to ensure that tax dollars go to benefit those in need, instead of providing tax cuts to the wealthy like in President Trump's massive tax and spending bill passed in 2025, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
Westerman voted for the tax cuts. Many Republicans have lauded the cuts in the bill as beneficial for economic growth. Democrats, like Russell, have criticized the move as disproportionately benefitting the wealthy and driving up the national debt.
As far as the war in Iran goes, Westerman sees confronting Iran as a necessity.
"Iranian-backed terrorists have killed a lot of Americans and a lot of other people around the world. And I do believe they were very close to getting an atomic weapon. And unlike other countries that get nuclear weapons, I think they fully intended to use it," he said.
"So, I think everybody wishes it hadn’t have had to happen, but I think, we would be in a whole different scenario had Iran not been stopped from developing a nuclear weapon," Westerman continued.
Westerman called Israel America’s strongest ally in the Middle East. He said this is in part because of shared principles like freedom and democracy. Israel has the right to defend itself and the right to exist, Westerman said.
Russell said the U.S. has “absolutely no business bombing Iran.” He says the current conflict could have been avoided if the Iran Nuclear Deal, an Obama-era agreement meant to keep Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, or something like it were in place.
He is critical of the actions taken by the current Israeli government.
"I stand firmly with the Jewish community and I stand firmly with the people of Israel, but I cannot in any way endorse the actions of the Netanyahu regime" Russell said. "I don’t know when it became taboo to sit there and say that I don’t support genocide."
Russell wants to see a return to diplomatic solutions to conflicts like those in the Middle East.
At home, both Russell and Westerman see the struggle of Arkansas farmers.
Russell said he’d work to bring more farm-to-table measures, enact more sustainability practices and stop or roll back measures taken by the federal government that have hurt farmers, like the Trump Administration’s dismantling of USAID.
Westerman says the high cost of farming supplies, like fertilizer, pesticides, herbicides, and diesel are leading to issues for growers. The 2025 budget reconciliation bill has measures meant to help farmers like a permanent small business tax deduction, he says. He also hopes to pass the most recent Farm Bill, a package of legislation that focuses on agriculture and food programs.
Russell ran for governor as a Democrat in 2022, but lost the primary to Chris Jones. As someone with experience in other elections, he knows he has his work cut out for him if he wants to win this race. He says the key to winning is mobilizing people who are tired of the “chaos” and “confusion” that’s become common in politics.
“We’re a small grassroots campaign. We don’t have the money to run polls. And I’ve been asked about that before and I tell them all the time, literally the only poll numbers I care about are going to come out on November the 3rd. We’ll find out what happens then," he said.
Westerman on the other hand says his work in Congress will pay off in November.
“What I’m going to continue focusing on is doing the work and getting good policy in place," Westerman said. "And I’m not necessarily concerned about cable news and clicks on social media. I try to stay focused on the job and doing the work for the people of Arkansas.”
