Just 805 voters turned out for the Democratic primary in the race to fill Arkansas House District 70, producing a decisive result.
Alex Holladay of North Little Rock won the Democratic nomination with 80%, defeating Cordelia Smith-Johnson of Sherwood.
With the Democratic primary decided, Holladay will move on to the March 3 general election, where he will face Bo Renshaw of North Little Rock. Renshaw ran unopposed in the Republican primary.
House District 70 includes parts of North Little Rock and Sherwood. The special election will fill the vacancy left by Carlton Wing, who resigned to become president and CEO of Arkansas PBS.
The winner of the March 3 election will serve the remainder of Wing’s term, which runs through January 2027.
Alex Holladay is an education manager at UAMS and lives in North Little Rock.
Cordelia Smith-Johnson is a civilian contractor from Sherwood.
Renshaw, the Republican nominee, also lives in North Little Rock.
All three candidates — Holladay, Smith-Johnson, and Renshaw — have also filed to run in the regularly scheduled 2026 election for House District 70, meaning voters could see a rematch regardless of the outcome in March.
The immediate focus, however, is the March 3 special election, which will decide who fills the seat for the next two years.
