The third congressional district has a late arrival to the race hailing from the Libertarian Party of Arkansas. Steve Isaacson of Eureka Springs was nominated today in Fayetteville to fill a spot left vacant by Nathan LaFrance.
Back in March Isaacson planned to run against US Rep. Steve Womack in the Republican primary. He did not file to do so.
In October he was nominated as a Libertarian to run against Republican incumbent Bob Ballinger in House District 97. There are no records of him filing to do so on the secretary of state's website.
When Isaacson told the Faulkner County Tea Party he would primary Womack last March he admonished the shortcomings of the VA system. Isaacson, who is a veteran, said his experience has made him question military service.
"You can't take care of me after I've done all the wars you've sent me to already? You can keep your war and you can go fight it with somebody else. I'm going to tell all the troops don't go," said Isaacson at a March meeting of the Faulkner County Tea Party.
The original Libertarian candidate in the race Nathan LaFrance left the state for a job interest. He garnered 2 percent of the 2014 US Senate vote edging out Green Party candidate Mark Swaney by a few hundred votes for third place.
The news release from the LPA:
The Libertarian Party of Arkansas held a Special Nominating Convention Saturday, January 23, 2016 at Foghorn's Restaurant in Fayetteville to fill the Vacancy in Nomination for the Third Congressional District.
Previous nominee Nathan LaFrance vacated the nomination due to taking a job out of state. The result of the convention was the nomination of Steve Isaacson of Eureka Springs.
Isaacson is a Veteran's advocate and champion of the Fair Tax.
Isaacson joins Mark West, Chris Hayes, and Kerry Hicks in running for Congress on the Libertarian ticket in Arkansas. Frank Gilbert of Tull, Arkansas is the Libertarian candidate for Senate.
