LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — An Arkansas gun rights activist who ran unsuccessfully for governor three years ago said Wednesday that she’s challenging Sen. John Boozman in the state’s Republican primary in 2022.
Jan Morgan said she will run against Boozman, who is seeking his third term next year. Former President Donald Trump last week endorsed Boozman’s reelection bid.
But Morgan accused Boozman of not being conservative enough and criticized his votes certifying President Joe Biden’s victory over Trump in the November election. The House and Senate in January overwhelmingly rejected objections to the results in two states.
“When the going got tough, he exited the ring,” Morgan said in a video announcing her bid on YouTube.
Boozman’s campaign called the incumbent lawmaker a “strong, conservative leader” and touted his endorsements from Trump, fellow Sen. Tom Cotton and former White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders.
“As he has throughout his time in public service, Senator Boozman will continue speaking directly to Arkansans to share his conservative, proven record of results,” Toni-Marie Higgins, a spokeswoman for the campaign, said in a statement.
Morgan ran unsuccessfully against Gov. Asa Hutchinson in the 2018 Republican primary, winning about 30% of the vote. Hutchinson went on to win a second term in the general election.
Morgan in 2014 declared her Hot Springs gun range a “Muslim-free zone” and has said she views Islam as a “theocracy/terrorist organization, not a religion.”
Boozman was first elected to the Senate in 2010 and reelected in 2016.
