State Rep. John Payton announces for State Senate

The Majority Whip in the Arkansas House of Representatives has declared his candidacy for the Arkansas Senate.

Republican State Representative John Payton announced today for the newly-drawn Arkansas Senate District 22. The new district includes all of Independence and Sharp counties and portions of Cleburne, Izard, Lawrence, Randolph, and Fulton counties.

“After much prayer and heartfelt conversations with family and friends, I am excited to announce my campaign for the Arkansas State Senate,” said Payton said in a release announcing his candidacy. “As a State Representative and the Majority Whip for the House Republican Caucus, I have consistently fought for the conservative values of my district and the people of Arkansas. As a businessman, I hear and see the struggles of everyday working Arkansans trying to provide for their family. Our freedoms and livelihood are under constant attack by the radical left, and we need a State Senator who will stand up for the people of State Senate District 22 and I will be a reliable conservative vote in the Arkansas Senate.”  

More from the release…

Upon announcing his campaign for State Senate, Payton also said: “I have a record of fighting for the people’s priorities. This past session I was the lead sponsor of Act 1013, a new law that substantially cut the used car sales tax to help more Arkansans afford a quality vehicle. Furthermore, I co-sponsored many other bills, including ones protecting unborn life, the Second Amendment, and religious liberty. I have also championed legislation to limit the size and scope of government. Most importantly, our children in schools are being threatened with indoctrination by curriculums like Critical Race Theory and I am the only person in the race to have voted to ban this insidious curriculum in Arkansas public schools.”

Payton is an auctioneer, owner of two auto auctions, and two used car lots. He has lived in Cleburne County since 1972 and is currently serving in his fifth term as State Representative and serves as the Majority Whip. He was also appointed to the Arkansas Auctioneers Licensing Board by Governor Huckabee and served on the Wilburn volunteer fire department board. John is a member of the National Rifle Association and National Automobile Dealers Association. John and his wife, Rhonda, live in Wilburn, Arkansas, and have one daughter, two sons, and twelve grandchildren. They are members of Grace Baptist Church in Heber Springs.