Teacher and public education activist Trevor McGarrah is running for the Arkansas House of Representatives.
McGarrah, a Democrat from Searcy, announced Wednesday that he will run for the 58th House District, currently held by Republican Les Eaves.
House District 58 includes parts of White County, including Searcy, Higginson and Kensett.
“My experience in the classroom taught me the importance of giving everyone a voice in the room,” McGara said in a news release. “Too often, the voices of ordinary Arkansans are ignored in our statehouses in favor of partisan ideology and out-of-state special interests. In Congress, the concerns of the public are pushed to the brink of our elected officials choosing their party over the voters they were elected to represent.”
McGara, a Fayetteville native, has lived in Searcy for the past three and a half years and teaches computer science at Searcy High School.
McGara, 41, is also a member of the group Arkansas Citizens for Public Education and Students, which is trying to bring Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ education reform, the LEARNS Act, to a vote.
Although the group was unable to put the LEARNS Act to a referendum, supporters say the effort helped create a movement of like-minded people who came together to oppose the law. Stated. The law would allow students to attend private schools or home schools using state funds.
McGarrah said in a release that he plans to focus his campaign on three key issues: government transparency, protection of individual liberties, and public education.
Mr. Eaves served as president of Searcy Corporation for five terms. He easily won reelection in the 2022 election, defeating Democratic challenger Chantel Davis with 80% of the vote. Eaves, who chairs the House Ways and Means and Taxation Committee, said in a text message that he will run for re-election.
Republicans currently hold their largest congressional majorities since Reconstruction, controlling 82 of the 100 seats in the House and 29 of the 35 seats in the Senate.
