'That was enough for the Arkansas voter,' says political scientist Heather Yates with the University of Central Arkansas. Sanders' focus mainly on national GOP talking points made for an easy target for her primary challengers who accused her of ignoring statewide issues.īut those attacks backfired on her challengers who were then seen as too narrow-minded. Established conservatives with statewide name recognition, Rutledge and Griffin both eventually bowed out of the governor's race in favor of running for other statewide offices. Sanders originally faced stiffer competition for the Republican nomination in the form of the state's attorney general, Leslie Rutledge, and Lt.

No matter who ultimately wins, the general election will be a historic one Jones would be the state's first Black governor, Sanders would be the first woman elected to the post. In November, Sanders will face Democrat Chris Jones, a Baptist minister and MIT-educated nuclear engineer who emerged from a crowded Democratic primary field as an early frontrunner. Boosted by an early endorsement from Trump and a record-breaking $14 million campaign war chest, Sanders cruised to an easy victory Tuesday night over former talk radio host Francis 'Doc' Washburn. Major funding for this documentary was provided by a grant to the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism’s Division of Heritage.At 39, Sanders ran an unprecedented campaign for the job once held by her father, former Gov. After filming the entire process, Arkansas PBS will finalize the documentary by spring 2023. Additional research, filming and editing are slated to begin next week, with the delivery and installation of the statues to the U.S. Īrkansas PBS has already begun collecting footage, including documentation of the steering committee interviews with the artist finalists for the sculptures. More information on this event is available by emailing the club at. at the Windgate Center for a reception hosted by the Political Animals Club of Little Rock, where both will speak about the project. Victor will join Arkansas artist Kevin Kresse on Wednesday, April 27, at 5 p.m. Groups can be scheduled for specific times by emailing Amber Crawford at gov. The public is invited to visit with Victor as he works on the sculpture of Bates at the Windgate Center of Art + Design on the campus of UA Little Rock from April 25-29. It will document the selection, creation and installation process of the new works for Statuary Hall illuminate the lives of Bates and Cash as worthy subjects for this honor and reflect the creative process of the artists commissioned to create these sculptures. The Arkansas PBS film will be directed by award-winning filmmaker Nathan Willis. In 2019, the Arkansas General Assembly agreed to replace the state’s first two Statuary Hall sculptures of Uriah Milton Rose and James Paul Clarke with statues of civil rights activist Daisy Bates and world-renowned singer/songwriter Johnny Cash. Additionally, Arkansas PBS will develop classroom-ready resources aligned with state and national academic standards for social studies and arts education for K-12 students to accompany the film.įor more than a century, each state has been permitted to display two statues in Statuary Hall that recognize individuals whose achievements reflect and contribute to the collective identity of the United States.

It will be broadcast on Arkansas PBS and available for on-demand viewing and streaming on the network’s YouTube channel and various digital platforms.

The completed documentary is expected to be complete in 2023. Arkansas PBS is producing a feature-length documentary on the selection, creation and installation of new statues of Daisy Bates and Johnny Cash that will represent Arkansas in Statuary Hall at the U.S.

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