Photo: Sen. Jimmy Hickey
The Arkansas Senate meeting in a committee of the whole Thursday morning has elected Sen. Jimmy Hickey, R-Texarkana, as its president pro tempore in 2021. This comes after Sen. Bart Hester, R-Cave Springs, was selected last week as the Republican nominee for the position.
At that time, Sen. Hickey said he didn’t seek nomination for the leadership position, but would ask the full Senate to elect him to it.
The Senate includes 26 Republicans and nine Democrats.
During the past several years, the Republican-controlled Senate has typically selected the Republican nominee.
Arkansas Times is reporting Hickey, in emotional remarks, said he’d work to bring the Senate together. “The ones who didn’t support me, that is 100% irrelevant at this point,” he said. “I love each and every one of you and I will do the best I can for you.”
Hester spoke about a change in his behavior from his early pugnacious days in the Senate. He said he’d learned the value of mutual respect and unique perspectives. “If you will let me lead you, I promise you will be treated equally and fairly and when you’ve got something to say you will be heard.”
Hickey said he’d sent a letter to senators that outline his ideas, but closed with a very brief talk. “I will try to do the right thing,” he said.
Both Hickey and Hester have served in the Senate since 2013. In 2018, Hickey lost his bid to be the Republican nominee for the top leadership post to Sen. Jim Hendren, R-Sulphur Springs.
Hendren has been president pro tempore since 2019, and his term in the post ends in 2021. He is seeking re-election to a two-year Senate term in the Nov. 3 general election. He said he’ll probably decide whether to run for governor in 2022 “sometime after the fiscal session and the dust settles from this coronavirus crisis that we find ourselves in.”
Photo: Sen. Scott Flippo
As KTLO, Classic Hits and The Boot News reported earlier this week, Sen. Scott Flippo of Bull Shoals is set to serve another leadership position in the legislature. Senator Flippo was elected as the upper chamber’s next Senate Republican leader last week. Flippo now serves as the Senate majority whip, a position his colleagues elected him to in December 2018.
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