Sen. Breanne Davis went into Thursday’s Pro Tem vote thinking she had the top job in the Arkansas Senate locked down. Three ballots later, Sen. Josh Bryant of Rogers walked away with it.
That’s where our story about getting too big for your britches begins. She should’ve picked some cozier britches, perhaps.
There was a time when Davis, a Republican from Russellville, was a pretty sensible legislator. She kept her head down and focused on passing good policy that helped Arkansans, like legislation to mandate Medicaid coverage of continuous glucose monitors and expanding internet access in rural areas.
Then Sarah Huckabee Sanders won the governor’s race, and Davis hitched her wagon to Sanders, a governor looking to make a name for herself with the national MAGA crowd. When Sanders wanted to overhaul Arkansas education, Davis had the governor’s sole trust, and force through the 145-page LEARNS Act while the public — and her fellow lawmakers — had no time to scrutinize what was in it.
Davis stuck with Sanders even when it was hard to see what Russellville was getting out of the deal. This Thursday, all that loyalty looked like it might finally pay off with the Senate president Pro Tem job. Then the voting started.
An anti-Sanders faction, led by Sen. Jimmy Hickey of Texarkana, nominated Sen. Ron Caldwell of Wynne for the Senate’s top job. Reliable Sanders bootlicker Sen. Tyler Dees of Siloam Springs nominated Sanders’ handpicked candidate, our dear Sen. Davis.
Unfortunately, with the recent retirement of now-former Sen. Jonathan Dismang of Searcy, Davis was missing a crucial vote to get the magic number of 18 votes. Sen. Scott Flippo of Bull Shoals tried to nominate Sen. Josh Bryant of Rogers as a “compromise” candidate, but Dees repeatedly re-nominated Davis, and so Hickey renominated Caldwell.
This carousel of chaos went on for three rounds, until finally, both Caldwell and Davis stood down, and Bryant took the top spot by acclamation.
So what happened? We’re hearing that some of Davis’s recent decisions cost her support from her own caucus. What we’ve heard so far sounds a whole lot like the way the Sanders administration operates — rules for thee, but the rest of us can do as we please. We’re still sniffing out the details. We’ll share more as soon as we can verify what we’re hearing.
The timing is quite something, too. On Tuesday, voters across the country and this state sent a message about what they want from their elected leaders: accountability, transparency, and a laser focus on affordability. People are struggling to get by and need leaders who will put the people first. It’s a bad look for the Senate to look this disarrayed in their very first meeting post-election, and it’s a bad look for Davis to lose out on the Senate’s top slot after her maneuvering. Her blind ambition kept her from climbing the Senate ranks.
Stick with us for more info as we get it.
