Arkansas’ Womack to seek 8th term in Congress

U.S. Rep. Steve Womack, an influential Republican who has been a vocal critic of some of his party’s far-right members, will seek an eighth term representing Arkansas’ 3rd Congressional District. 

Womack, a retired Army colonel, had reportedly been weighing retirement at the end of 2024, but he said earlier this year that he’d make a final decision closer to the fall.

On Wednesday, the former Rogers mayor confirmed that we would run again next year.

“I’m announcing my intention to file for re-election the US House of Representatives representing #AR3,” Womack said on social media. “Fighting to combat this Administration’s far-left agenda, supporting our nation’s military, & serving the needs of my constituents will be my priorities for the next Congress.”

Womack was first elected to Congress in 2010 following his retirement from the Arkansas National Guard. 

He is among the most influential members of Congress when it comes to the federal budget, and he wrote House Republicans’ current Financial Services and General Government spending bill. 

A former chairman of the House Budget Committee, Womack is a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee, where he chairs the Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee.

Battles over spending, farm bill, Ukraine and yet more loom over a divided Congress

He will be at the center of debates over the reauthorization of federal funding for several major programs to avoid a government shutdown at the end of the month. Over the summer, Womack expressed frustrations with the way some far-right members of his party were approaching the debate over federal government spending bills.

“I am uniquely positioned to make a true difference in Washington,” Womack said in a statement. “I remain committed to restoring our conservative values — American values that make our nation the greatest in the world.”

Womack’s announcement is likely to dissuade some Arkansas Republicans who have been waiting for an open congressional seat from running in a federal race in 2024, and neither of Arkansas’ U.S. senate seats are up for election next year.