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Hello again everyone and thanks very much for joining us earlier this year.

State Senator Jim Hendron of Gravit announced he was leaving the Republican Party and declared himself an independent at the same time he unveiled common Ground Arkansas, an organization that he promised would bring together Arkansans of all political persuasions who believe that pragmatism should out Trump partisanship.

This week, common ground, Arkansas announced its board of directors as the senator had promised.

It includes a former Arkansas Republican Speaker, a Democrat formerly of the House.

Two other former state legislators, including the mayor of one of the state's largest cities.

A couple of Arkansas CEOs, not including the senator and a corporate attorney from Walmart, Senator Jim Hendron joins us.

Now, Senator thanks very much as always for your time, we have, as you indicated, we've got our common ground.

Arkansas now has a board of directors.

What does this board?

Say.

Well, this board says they want to work together to move Arkansas forward.

It's a.

It's a great group of people that represent the best of Arkansas as you as you talked about in your lead in there, we have people from banking from law from former military manufacturing, former legislators, farmers.

We just have an incredibly diverse group, but we share one thing in common.

That is, we want to see Arkansas begin to focus on real problems, begin to look for leaders who.

Believe in working across the aisle to serve Arkansas instead of serving one of the other partisan parties.

So I'm very proud of the board.

We were excited to release the names.

We've had several meetings and they've gotten to know each other and I'm going to tell you there's a lot of diversity on views and opinions about issues, but there is unity on the fact that.

Arkansas can do better, and Arkansas can find a way to elect pragmatic leaders.

We've done that many times in the past and we just need to reverse the trend of extreme partisanship ruling the day in Arkansas.

These men and women who are now you're bored senator.

What have you charged them with?

Are we going to see them out now in the state doing what?

Well, it's really the strategic view of common ground Arkansas to help us make the decision because again, the whole purpose of common ground is find areas that even though we may disagree on some different issues, we agree on some major premises to move Arkansas forward.

And that's what the board's major task it says.

Develop a strategy and the policy that common ground is going to engage in.

Make those positive changes that everybody wants to see in Arkansas.

You'll see some out to helping in the public effort.

The vice chairman, Archie Schaffer, is going to be leading up our campaign and recruitment and efforts.

Former Speaker Carter is going to be leading up our policy development team, so we have kind of rolled out their build out roles to different members of the board to share the work and provide some leadership, but but overall we've had so much support from the grassroots people of Arkansas.

I'm pleased that the board is from all parts of Arkansas, so we have relationships in almost every part of the state.

They've got a lot of work to do and I know they will be pitching in and because they believe in the cars just like I do, this is going to require a little bit of money now as a C4 you're not required.

I don't think to disclose, but can you?

Would it not benefit the credibility of the organization?

Common ground, Arkansas.

If if you were transparent in terms of your underwriting.

Well, I've never been a fan fan of dark money and not disclosing and rules that siefores play under, but we all know that that's the rules of the game as they stand today there's reasons for wanting to disclose, and when we are required to, for instance, is as we set up packs and engage in specific campaigns, we will certainly disclose and reveal all of the contributors in those specific efforts as required by law.

But with regard to the C4 there again, I I see the value and some.

Anonymity I see I see the value and not necessarily putting all the cards on the table, and so we're going to continue to play by the rules of C4 corporations, just as the NRA does, just as Americans for Prosperity and many other groups that have been effective in the political realm under that umbrella.

And we're certainly not going to enter into a fight and disarm ourselves first.

Are you already in the business or are you about already recruiting candidates?

Yes, we are.

We've had discussions with some very incredibly.

Gifted and dedicated people who want to serve.

They've reached out to us.

We've had many people give us recommendations on who to go and seek to serve.

And Steve is not just about unseating incumbents, it's also about billing new seats with the right kind of people's redistricting happens, there's going to be a huge opportunity to find new people to enter in and serve in Arkansas politics.

Common ground is trying to find the right kind of people because if we don't we know we're going to continue to go further and further apart with more and more partisanship.

So absolutely, we've had great discussions with several, and I think they'll be many more in the future.

Well, as soon as you notice a redistricting is coming up, and that's going to be central, will it not?

To your ability to not only recruit, but perhaps to achieve some success at the polls?

It absolutely is, and I tell our board the stars of the lying for some real change.

In 22, we've got every member of the legislature up for reelection because of redistricting, and because of the redistricting in the migration and the growth patterns in Arkansas, there's going to be a lot of change.

There's going to be open seats brand new.

See, there's going to be, you know.

And the legislators don't like to hear this, but there's going to be some incumbents forced to run against each other because some districts are going to have to expand in order to make the representation equal across the state.

So all those things play together to give us a real opportunity.

I would say it once in a decade, opportunity to make real change and we're going to seize the opportunity.

Well, there will be some changes.

Obviously certain district lines in some cases, some profound changes, but will the political temperature of Arkansas change?

To your advantage.

I think it can, and again, that's the purpose of common ground.

Arkansas is, it needs to change.

I remember when.

Bipartisanship was expected and normal, not unusual and and demonized.

I remember when people used to work together and we used to have legislators who were thoughtful and and took very serious consideration about the roles of the legislator versus the executive branch versus digital brands and our obligation to.

Completely support and defend the Constitution.

Those things have gone by the wayside now, so I think it can change.

I think common ground is going to be a big factor in making that change, and I believe the voters are ready for that.

I mean, again, I continue to get letters and emails from across the state.

People say.

How can I help?

We want something different, so I think it there's a hunger for it to change.

We just need an organization to make that happen and that's what common grounds about in conversation.

Sir earlier a couple of weeks ago you mentioned to me that you thought a it was very instructive.

The level of primary turn out not not just the general, but the primary turn out as well indicated some on an opening if you will.

Well, we've got legislators who've been in office for 10 years with 9% of the registered voters who voted for them in their district, because that the winner is determined in a primary, which has not necessarily very high turn out.

If it's an off year and then they're not opposed in the general or they have a very weak opponent in the general well, nine percent is certainly not representative of an entire district.

So are, and I believe, a lot of that is, is because people are not engaged in the primary process because they're basically.

Tired of being completely overrun by the extremes?

So yeah, I think it's our part of our agenda is going to be to encourage voter turn out.

And we know part of that is going to be getting them some candidates that they can be excited about.

Again, instead of having to feel like they have to choose between two extremes that neither one of them fit what they believe is the right path for Arkansas.

So voter turn out in both general and primary is going to be a huge effort for common ground.

You also send it a senator indicated that you, well, you told me and I think you felt some other people.

The center is larger than.

We think it is.

How large is it?

An where is the center these days?

The center is homeless these days and even the polling identifies in Arkansas that there is 39% of the people.

Identifies independent were only 40% identify as Republicans in 25% is Democrats.

So and I think the number is even higher than that.

When you get right down and if you look historically at Arkansas, we are historically an independent state.

We're a state that will vote for a Republican for President and Democrat for US.

Senators were a state that will be very conservative on social issues.

But then low vote.

For minimum wage increases and medical marijuana, the voters of Arkansas has a history of being independent, but unfortunately, neither of the parties addresses that independent streak in Arkansas.

That center St. Because of our primary process and and that's part of the things will be looking at trying to change to make it where voters don't continually have to feel like there's no home for them because both parties have gone too far to the left or too far to the right.

So let me follow on that.

If I'm a senator because in announcing you're bored you.

One of the goals you said of common ground Arkansas will be to find individuals and to shape policies that will address the quote real problems of Arkansas.

We have failed to do that in your estimation.

We have.

I mean, I've been in the legislature since the 1990s, and while we've made some progress, we still see Arkansas lagging its very important areas and we don't focus on.

We know we need to do more, more work in education.

We know we need to do more work in child hunger.

We know we need to do more work and broadband.

We know we need to do more work in so many of these areas and voter turn out where 49 and voter turn out.

And we're not addressing those problems.

I ran a bill to say why don't we spend some time talking about 4700 kids we have in foster care?

Instead of some of the other issues that seem to be sucking all the oxygen out of the debate at the CAP.

That's a real problem 4700.

Kids looking for a family and it got almost no attention in the General Assembly, so I do think there's a lot of real problems like that that people are frustrated that Arkansas's continuing to focus on the attention getters, the issues that appeal to the base rather than really solve the problems of Arkansas.

We've got so much good going on in Arkansas.

We've got some of the best mountain biking.

Some of the best natural resources.

Some of the best state parks in the entire nation.

We have one of the best qualities of life.

But we have to overcome some of these real problems if we want to continue to move Arkansas forward.

And finally this senator you you said also in in announcing the board that you were hoping to recruit an find it, identify candidates, promote candidates who would be loyal to whose first loyalty was to the, to the citizens of their of their district.

I'm paraphrasing there when I look back at some of the primary and general election returns, they got many of them got overwhelming majorities.

How are they not being loyal?

Well, they got majorities of a minority of the vote.

Steve would be my contention.

We have very few candidates.

Legislators who were elected with more than 51% of the electric now they may have trounced in a primary, or they may have trounced in a general election because of the dynamics of the way our primary process is set up today.

But I tell you when I come back to my district from the legislative session.

The issues that I'm asked about are not the ones that are getting all the attention in the General Assembly, and that's what I mean by that is we're we're pandering to.

The base, the small minority base that's going to elect us.

We're pandering to gun issues or pandering to issues that ignite our base rather than the ones when I go to the coffee shop or when I go to the Qantas club when I go to the as I went to last week at the Memorial Day service in Bella Vista, people come up and talk to me about real problems and I continue to hear from them.

They are so ready for something new and different.

So again, I think it's that's what I mean, Steve is there's I might.

I think there is a disconnect between what the legislature is doing.

And serving up to the people versus what I hear from the people in the district.

Senator Jim Hendron of Common ground, Arkansas.

Many Many thanks for your time.

Come back soon.

Thank you Steve and we'll be right back.

And we're back.

Couple of voices now to assess common ground Arkansas and the landscape it hopes to reshape from the right former speaker.

Jeremy gillam.

Now with the University of Central Arkansas and from the left, Democratic strategist Michael Cook, gents, thanks for coming aboard.

Mr Speaker will start with you.

Your assessment that you you heard you heard your about Senator Hendron.

Both of you did Mr Speaker your thoughts.

Well, I think he's obviously tapping into a lot of discontent.

I think the the constituents of Arkansas reaching out to him.

I think he's he's sensing that and realizing that there needs to be a different dynamic.

Obviously in some conversations I've had with him at the Capitol, you know he's he's very passionate about this and and I think you know the organization that he has as founded now with the board members.

I think they will be, you know, a factor moving forward.

How much and how quick it will be.

I think depending on a lot of external factors and inflection points that are out of their control, but I think you know he's obviously you know getting feedback and sensing that Arkansans are looking for something different.

How big of a slice of that pie will remain to be seen over the next couple of years, surely?

Yeah, Michael cook.

I I just don't think the pie is as big as Jim 100 thinks it is.

You know, when you look at the actual election results last year in 2020, Donald Trump got 62% of the vote.

It was one of his highest vote.

Percentage is in the nation.

This sadly, at least as a democratic perspective.

It's a Republican Ruby Red state.

You know, the the majority seems to be.

With Republicans, which is why they hold the governorship, the Senate seats the congressional seats.

You know.

Obviously, if you talk to, you know, insiders and some folks.

Yeah, a lot of people are not happy.

But in my personal opinion, I you know when he says there's extremism on both sides.

I don't.

I take issue with that, in my opinion.

I think it's more of the Republicans who have gone to the extreme.

I mean, when 70% of Republicans believe that Donald Trump that the election was stolen in 2020.

That tells you something about the state of the Republican Party.

The Democrats, at least in Arkansas, been fighting for, you know, education.

You know he's talking about the minimum wage.

You know that was put before a few years back.

Arkansas Republicans in the legislature tried to kill it through various technical means, so I don't think the center is as big as he is.

And then I would add one last point is that you know it all comes down to, you know, getting people elected and if they put up.

Let's say they put up Jim Hendron or Davy Carter for for governor, who I think are both, you know, good hearted people and their hearts in the right place.

But from a democratic perspective, why would you vote for Republican, who probably agrees with Sarah Sanders on 90 to 95% of the issues as opposed to incredible Democrats think they ask Michael Warner, one of Mr Hendrick's point was that he noted that participation in some of the primaries was quite low, suggesting to him.

A certain malaise, even among right leaning Republican or conservative voters, your thought on that?

Well, it comes, but it still comes down to the general election.

You know.

Again, I point back to those numbers that Donald Trump got in 2020 with 62% of the vote.

That doesn't seem to be a malaise or discontent with the Republican brand here in the state.

So you know, maybe he takes off a.

There are some Republicans who are not happy with where the state of the Republican Party and I'm sure he'll he'll bring those out and get, you know, get us, get some of them.

But when Democrats get about.

In 2018 the highest was about 3637% on a statewide level.

I just don't see any Democrats peeling off to vote for an independent candidate.

Yeah, and Anna Mr speaker.

Jeremy Gilman.

Your quote topic that Mr Henry was tapping into discontent to follow up on Michael's point there.

How much discontent do you register out there?

Well, I think right now that that amount is.

It's probably a little smaller because we're in kind of this, you know, post election low here, but I think as it moves forward and I think there's also other variables and factors that are going to happen nationally that may expand that.

So like if I was looking at it right now, I don't necessarily disagree with Michael's assessment that that number is a little probably a little shrunk right now, but I think there's a potential that it increases considerably.

Over the next couple of years and I I would probably say that you know the center that that I think we all are looking at here is center right?

I think, and that's testament to the statistics that Michael mentioned.

But how far rocked that expands and goes over him?

And yeah, there was a lot of folks that voted for Trump, but it was a binary choice and I think that's kind of thing that senator hindrance kind of referring to is is where he he believes those weren't all.

Pro Trump votes as much as it might have been.

Well, I'm anti Democrat or there are other factors in place, so I think that's that's kind of where that group is is sensing the movement and the potential there is being able to to layout policies and present candidates that provide them an alternative to to that level that we've seen in the last four years.

Yeah, follow up on that.

If you would Michael Cook, because plainly, what Mr Hendron's group would have to do to achieve a certain common ground, I think would be to move the states.

Political identity a bit to the left from where it is now.

It's always.

It's always been center, right?

Yeah, exactly, and you know Arkansas Democrats for the most part have been center to center, right?

That's how you get elected in Arkansas.

We are at.

We are a conservative state and have been even when Democrats ran all the offices.

They have always run.

As you know, moderate to conservatives, you know.

Again, I look at things from getting elected perspective.

You know, how do you you know to win the governorship or attorney general or whatever?

Office?

It's a plurality.

I mean how much?

Of the Republicans you know, just in terms of raw numbers, could you pull over?

Is it 1012% that are not happy in the Republican in a general election?

Is it?

You know, five 6% of Democrats that are not crazy about whoever the nominee is for governor or Attorney general.

Whatever it is, I mean that gets you about 1516%.

That's, you know we can mess around and disagree with the numbers.

But I don't think it's enough to overcome in a general election.

The Republican base and the democratic base.

I think whoever they put up for pretty much any office probably comes.

It just comes in.

3rd is just the nature of independent candidacies.

Consider this to Michael and reflect on this both of you.

If you would Mr Hutchens, Governor Hutchinson, the titular head of the party.

Or he is the head of the party in Arkansas, has been willing to.

Put his finger and Mr. Trump's I two of the four members of the congressional delegation, Mr. Womack and Mr. Hill have both been a willing to.

Go against Mr Trump's.

Express wishes at least well at the national level.

What does that say about the electric?

Does that offer the center right a bit more hope?

Well, I think.

You know, every district is going to be different and that was a think a point that even center Hendron mentioned earlier, just legislatively.

But I think from personal standpoint you know both of those representatives have different districts in the fourth of the 1st, and so I think as you move forward, I don't know that you can necessarily paint that broad statewide, and that may be why you know common ground focuses more on the state level legislatively this next cycle and maybe.

Kind of doesn't maybe go statewide right off the bat as they kind of move forward and they're developing processes.

Yeah, Michael.

I would note also that the 1st and the third of the districts that Mr. Hill and Mr. Walmex districts are those are the most urban districts in the state.

Right, you know you're talking about Governor Hutchinson, you know.

Kind of poking, yeah, well, of course he's term limited.

He didn't have anything to to really worry bout in Arkansas politics right now and then with that one.

Vote for Congressman Hill and Congressman Womack, you know, at the end of the day, they're still, you know, they're still going to take care of their base.

Maybe they have.

It's, you know one vote that they, you know on the Commission.

But again, I just don't see that enough to say.

OK, common ground is going to be able to win elections.

Because of those two votes for those two gentlemen.

In fact I'll be cursing if anyone, if they may have primary opponents.

But you know, we'll see what happens.

Well, Ann, I have to say that common ground Arkansas is not totally unique.

You have for several years and I go.

It's kind of nation, but there's the organization known as no labels.

And in Congress there's the Problem Solvers caucus and.

We're five months now into the new presidential administration.

We haven't solved a great many problems up there.

Well, you know it's one thing to be.

Sorry no the.

They you know it, it's not necessarily a from what I'm seeing from the materials and hearing, you know from sender, Hendron and others affiliated with the group.

It's not necessarily they're going to put forth just straight, independent candidates in every race.

I mean it there very well may go with, you know, just finding candidates that fit within the party structures.

But that are more pragmatic, and so it's that maybe that alters the dynamic quite a bit too at moving forward, yeah?

Michael, that that could be the case, you know.

If they but it will have to wait.

Remain to see what happens from reading the materials, it looks like they're saying a pox on both their houses, both Democrats and Republicans.

It sounds like that they're looking for independent candidates, but you know, in a Republican primary, if they put up a candidate and it has the common ground label, then all of a sudden there moderate.

And that's the definition of Republican primary in most parts of the state, so.

Again, I'm just curious to see what happens.

Where are we going to be in six months a year from now, and that's who they actually put up and who they what side of the aisle.

Do they pull votes from Mr Speaker?

Senator Hendron noted that we're about to redistrict the General Assembly.

How much is kid that make much of a difference?

The redistricting process given the overall trends across the state?

I don't think it'll be a massive shift, but there there could be some movement there because you are going to lose some seats in the Delta or South Arkansas that will go northwest and with the changing demographics that they've seen up there, there may be some openings in two or three seats that are kind of shuffled around the state a little bit, but I don't.

I don't necessarily see you know a 20 or 30, you know district swing or something like that, but there may be something smaller.

And the single digits.

But that might be enough for them to be able to gain a footing and and be able to move forward.

Michael more of a more than a footing.

Because Republicans control all of redistricting, they're going to do everything they can to make every district as Republican as possible, and everything they can to stick it to the Democrats.

I mean, they'll they'll figure out a way to put, you know, you know, countless Democrats in the same district to kind of muck up the works.

So in terms of they're not going to create any swing districts.

And let's just absolutely necessary.

So if anything, I think it makes common grounds common ground.

Their mission statement tougher, because these districts.

Are going to become more Republican?

Got it?

Gentlemen, thanks very much.

Mr speaker.

Jeremy Gillam and Gillam Michael Cook.

Thanks as always for being with us guys.

Come back soon.

That's our broadcast for this week.

Thank you as always for joining us.

See you next week.

Support for Arkansas Week provided by the Arkansas Democrat Gazette.

The Arkansas Times and Kuer FM 89.