Arkansas’ House District 67 covers parts of Pulaski County, including portions of Jacksonville and Sherwood. Republican Rep. Karilyn Brown has represented the district in the legislature since 2015.
But a young veteran hopes to defeat Brown. Democratic candidate Andrew Cade Eberly hopes to flip the seat–which Brown won by only 510 votes in the last election.
Rep. Karilyn Brown is originally from Cape Girardeau, Mo., and earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Arkansas. She has a master’s degree in technical writing from UA Little Rock and currently lives in Sherwood. Brown previously served as a Justice of the Peace for Pulaski County. She was first elected to the House in 2015.
Little Rock Public Radio did not reach Rep. Brown for an interview. Brown did not respond to interview requests or questions about her positions sent via email.
The District 67 incumbent’s voting record falls in line with many of her Republican colleagues. Brown is opposed to abortion, supports cutting taxes, and supports the Arkansas LEARNS act. She also supported Gov. Sarah Sanders’ attempt to roll back FOIA laws in a special session in 2023. Brown’s endorsements include support from the National Rifle Association, the anti-abortion group Arkansas Right to Life, and the Arkansas Firefighters Association.
Democratic challenger Andrew Cade Eberly is a 25-year-old Army veteran originally from Oklahoma. He enlisted in the Army in 2017 and spent a year in South Korea and four years in Georgia supporting the Joint Special Operations Command. He came to Arkansas to study cybersecurity at UA Little Rock, and to begin to build a life in Arkansas with his wife, Heather.
In an interview with Little Rock Public Radio, Eberly said he’s concerned about the food deserts in his district, the state’s cybersecurity protocols, and increasing voter turnout, along with common stances for Arkansas Democrats this cycle–critical of LEARNS, tax cuts, and of Arkansas’ Republican supermajority.
Eberly is wary of any entity that appears to have unchecked power, saying he wants a legislature that asks both Democrats and Republicans to reach across the aisle.
“Government works best whenever we’re able to introduce ideas and whittle it down and get disagreeable parts out there until we find something that is agreeable and we can push forward,” Eberly said.
The candidates both have family and personal ties to the military. Rep. Brown’s late husband and her father were veterans, like Eberly.
The candidates have more than a 50-year age gap between them. Brown is 77, and Eberly is 25. On her website and social media accounts, Brown points to her years of service in the legislature as why she’s the best choice.
Meanwhile Eberly says he’s trying to “paint the picture” of what his generation looks like. He says members of his generation often feel apathetic to politics.
“I’ve constantly heard ‘Gen Z, it’s your generation, the young, the young are going to be the ones that save us, that fix everything,’” Eberly said. “There’s got to be a point in every generation’s life cycle where they stop saying ‘we’re the leaders of tomorrow’ and they actually take the baton and say ‘we’re the leaders of today.’”
Eberly hopes his campaign does inspire more Gen Z-ers to seek leadership positions, and to become politically engaged.
In the last election, Rep. Brown defeated her Democratic challenger by only 510 votes. Eberly said people in the district–and in Jacksonville especially–are politically isolated because of how the state’s district lines are drawn.
“They can’t go talk to their neighbor or friend on the other side of town and expect to be talking about the same people, and they feel left out.” Eberly said.
Education
Rep. Brown is supportive of the LEARNS Act, while Eberly wants more accountability for some of the provisions in the law; in particular, he’s worried about the impact taxpayer-funded school vouchers will have on the state’s operating budget over the next few years.
“The dollars that go into these educational freedom accounts and then get spent are non-accessible to FOIA requests, the government is unable to track how this taxpayer dollars is being spent and how effective those dollars are being used.”
In an interview with the Arkansas Advocate, Rep. Brown defended the LEARNS Act saying the legislation makes schools better and more competitive across the board, and that the vouchers are not “spent on frivolous things it was not intended for.”
Another important issue for Eberly is the state’s cybersecurity infrastructure–he currently works in the cybersecurity industry and says there’s a lot of places the state can improve.
“I think we’re more in a reactive rather than a proactive state in terms of cybersecurity and in terms of protecting our critical infrastructure,” Eberly said, adding “I definitely want to help play my part and shine a light in how we can make our state better”
Eberly also wants to expand broadband access across Arkansas, especially in rural and lower-income areas of the state. He says that’s important to make Arkansas a competitive place for residents and businesses.
“Students going through school don’t have access to the same tools and the same access to high speed internet, computer training, you know things like that to be able to participate in the modern economy, and they’re just not prepared and behind.”
Abortion
Incumbent Rep. Karilyn Brown is a strong supporter of Arkansas’ near-total abortion ban. She’s also been endorsed by the anti-abortion group Arkansas Right to Life and has sponsored anti-abortion legislation throughout her time in the House.
In contrast, Eberly said he’s not interested in legislating the issue; instead he wants voters to decide the terms of abortion in the state. He strongly disagrees with Secretary of State John Thurston, who disqualified this year’s abortion amendment from appearing on the ballot.
“We have a legislature, a judicial branch, and an executive branch that have simply decided that the people don’t get to choose,” Eberly said. “But it is in my opinion that we’re preventing the people from allowing to self-regulate regulate on this issue.”
Before the amendment was disqualified, Brown co-sponsored a House resolution to encourage people to vote against it.
As a challenger, Eberly also has concerns about the Arkansas Legislature in general, specifically about religion and politics. He said politicians shouldn’t use their religion to claim moral superiority. Eberly himself identifies as a non denominational Christian, but says he wouldn’t impose his personal beliefs on constituents.
“I don’t need to thump with a Bible to get those across, I’m able to take my morals and my you know worldview through religion, and not have to predispose them.”
Eberly called overtly religious legislation–and in particular, laws that echo or affirm Christian Nationalism–are “terrifying.”
“You know, for as much as we love the constitution, it’s scary to see people forget that simple truth of religion should not be the law.”
Some residents of Sherwood and Jacksonville have the chance to cast their ballot for Rep. Karilyn Brown or Andrew Cade Eberly until November 5.