Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Congressman Ross? Mike Ross, Jay Dickey Go Down To Wire

State Sen. Mike Ross, a Democrat and a resident of Prescott, easily won Nevada County in his race to unseat incumbent Jay Dickey, a Republican of Pine Bluff.

However, in the Fourth Congressional District, which includes 26 counties in south Arkansas, the race was much closer. Ross led in the race by about 2,000 votes at 4:30 a.m.

Win or lose, Ross can't help but call it a victory. No one else has come this close to beating Dickey since he unseated Democrat Beryl Anthony eight years ago. Two years ago Judy Smith gave Dickey a go for his money, but the election easily went for the Republican. Smith two weeks ago endorsed Dickey over Ross, saying that many people in Ross's senate district, of which she is a part, have never met the man. Other Democrats have also endorse Dickey over Ross.

No matter what the odds were Ross continued to push for the Democratic ideas  raising the minimum wage and pushing for reform of social security and medical programs  and it appears many people listened to him and were interested in his plans.

Dickey, on the other hand, kept reminding voters of the things he has done for them, including obtaining funds for two interstate highways, one from Louisiana through Texarkana and northward, the other cutting through southeast Arkansas.

Dickey accused Ross of taking so-called soft or PAC money, while he contended he did not. Ross countered with the same accusation against Dickey, and that Dickey would not increase the minimum wage but did vote to increase his own salary.

Ross and his wife Holly own Holly's Health Mart. He was elected a Justice of the Peace in Nevada County before he reached the age of 20, and has been in politics ever since. Working for several political leaders including former Lt. Governor and Attorney General Winston Bryant, Ross also worked for a pharmaceutical company after he graduated from college until he decided to run for Congress.

In Nevada County he captured 2,498 of the vote to 1,337 to Dickey with all boxes reporting.

Sheriff Steve Otwell won re-election easily over challenger Gary Hicks, an Independent.

The tally was 2,799 votes for Otwell to 1,011 for Hicks.

In Representative District 36, formerly held by Percy Malone of Arkadelphia, it was Democrat Tommy Roebuck the winner in Nevada County over Ron Addington, an Independent.

District 36 covers all of Clark County and a portion of Nevada County. The votes in Clark County were being counted by individuals and very slow. Roebuck was the apparent winner of the race by a margin of about two to one in Clark County.

Roebuck had 687 votes in Nevada County to Addington's 605.

Malone ran unopposed for Ross's former senate position.

Nationwide the Presidential race was neck and neck from the time the polls closed in the east and on through the Midwest and Plains states. In Arkansas George W. Bush captured all six of the electoral vote. In the county Al Gore edged out Bush 1,859 to 1,796.

All Constitutional Amendments, except the gambling amendment, were winning. And that's how it was in Nevada County, too.

Initiated Act 1 also passed in the county.

There were over 3,800 people casting their ballots in Nevada County.