Arkansas state Rep. Mark McElroy, R-Tillar (left) and Democrat Dexter Miller of Helena West-Helena (right) are competing in a rematch for House District 62. (Courtesy photos)
Mark McElroy said he’s been driving 100 miles one way to campaign for another term in the Arkansas House of Representatives. He’s facing Democrat Dexter Miller, a rematch of the District 62 race that was decided by 197 votes two years ago.
Residents of McElroy’s Delta district are more familiar with him than they were in 2022 when he sought to represent communities like Helena-West Helena, Wheatley and Marianna for the first time after redistricting, he said.
“The way I campaign is I sit on the curb on my bicycle and look homeless,” the Tillar Republican said. “That was my trademark down here [in Southeast Arkansas], but up there nobody knew me because they thought I was homeless, so they’d bring me food or try to offer me money.
“And then,” he laughed, “they’d find out I was a politician and try to run over me.”