Rep. David Whitaker receives the 2021 Distinguished Legislator Award from the Arkansas Municipal League. It was the 5th time Rep. Whitaker received the honor.
Courtesy photo
Rep. David Whitaker, D-Fayetteville, will run for reelection in the new House District 22, he announced on Monday.
Whitaker, 60, is a local attorney and a five-term representative who was first elected to the Arkansas House in 2012 where he has since served in District 85.
The newly redrawn district includes parts of Fayetteville and Prairie Grove, and all of Farmington.
Whitaker said much of what has been District 85 is set to become District 22, which spans University Heights and most of west Fayetteville, then all the way southwest to include the city of Farmington.
“Our state is currently controlled by extreme interests who have an awful plan for NWA — politicians who enjoy punching at cities like Farmington & Fayetteville for exercising local control and having unique visions for their own futures,” said Whitaker. “That is just bullying, and in my next term as your state representative, I will continue the fight against the forces of bad-faith and bad-government.”
Whitaker is a U.S. Air Force veteran, the former assistant city attorney of Fayetteville and a former instructor at Northwest Arkansas Community College.
“I promise to continue to work hard for you on good-government solutions to our state’s problems,” Whitaker said. “My current work in the legislature prioritizes passing a state earned income tax credit, promoting Fayetteville & Farmington as leaders in green jobs and sustainable industry in Arkansas, and ensuring that every Arkansas student has access to an excellently funded classroom and high-speed internet at home.”
House members run for two-year terms.
Candidate filing for the May 24 primaries begins Feb. 22 and ends March 1.
