BROOKLAND, Ark. — With grain bins and a New Holland farm combine serving as a backdrop, Rick Crawford formally kicked off his candidacy for the 1st Congressional District of Arkansas at a rural farm north of Jonesboro on Thursday evening.
Crawford, 43, of Jonesboro, the owner of an agricultural radio news network, hopes to become the first Republican representative ever for the district.
"This the first day we walk toward reclaiming conservative values," he told a crowd of about 200 who gathered in a large equipment garage on David Hodge's farm about five miles north of Jonesboro. "Are you ready for this new day?"
Crawford had filed papers with the Federal Election Commission earlier this spring. The Arkansas filing period to get on the ballot is March 1-8, 2010.
He would oppose incumbent Democrat Marion Berry, who has held the 26-county district in northeast Arkansas since 1996. Chad Causey, a spokesman for Berry, said Berry intends to seek re-election.
Crawford, the owner of Ag-Watch Network, which is syndicated on radio in five states, touted a grass roots campaign, saying his experience in agricultural communications has made him a viable candidate. He worked as an agricultural reporter for Jonesboro television station KAIT and was the farm director for Jonesboro radio station KFIN-FM. He was also a marketing manager for the John Deere company for five years.
Crawford served in the U.S. Army before going to Arkansas State University and was stationed in Afghanistan as a bomb-disposal technician.
He said he opposes changes to the health-care system and is against "cap and trade" policies that propose to tax industries for environmental controls.
"Don't throw out the best healthcare system in the world," he said Thursday evening. "We have the best system, bar none. We can rebuild the current health-care system and offer it to the 10 percent who don't have it now with common sense."
Crawford said he favors giving employers tax incentives for paying their employees' health care premiums.
Before speaking, Crawford played a six-string guitar with a local band, Grass Roots Revival, singing four country songs. He played "Rainbow Stew," a song by Merle Haggard, and called it his theme song.
Crawford said in an interviewWednesday that he's running for the congressional seat because he "saw such a fundamental change in the way the country is being run.
"This is not the change we bargained for," he said in the interview. The people are "fundamentally right of center politically. A shift has been forced on us, and we need a change in representation."
Crawford criticized Berry for not holding public meetings about health care and other issues in the district.
Causey said Berry had planned to hold several meetings in the district, but then canceled the ideas because of "serious family health concerns."
Spokesmen for the state's Republican and Democratic parties said Thursday no other candidates had indicated they would run for the position. The seat will be decided during the general election on Nov. 2, 2010.
Arkansas, Pages 13 on 08/28/2009