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Congressman Crawford Takes Easy Win In First District

Ann Kenda
/
ARKANSAS PUBLIC MEDIA
A sign at Rick Crawford's watch party at the Ridge Point Country Club welcomes supporters

 

Supporters cheered when the numbers came in earlier than expected at Rick Crawford’s watch party at Ridge Point Country Club on Tuesday evening.

 

Crawford finished with 69 percent of the vote from Tuesday’s midterm election, giving him an easy win over Democrat Chintan Desai and Libertarian Elvis Presley and confirming that he will head back to Washington for his fifth term as Arkansas’s First District’s Congressional representative.

 

“It’s a huge honor.  It’s very humbling,” said Crawford.

 

Credit Ann Kenda / ARKANSAS PUBLIC MEDIA
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ARKANSAS PUBLIC MEDIA
Rick Crawford with his wife, Stacy, at Tuesday evening's watch party at the Ridge Point Country Club.

Crawford, 52, who lives in Jonesboro with his wife and two children, said his priority is always Arkansas over Washington.

 

“We live here and we’re plugged in.  I do more constituent service work in Walmart,“ he said.

 

At his watch party at Legends Barbeque in Jonesboro, Chintan Desai took his loss in stride and said he was proud to run a campaign that focused on listening to constituents.

 

“We knew this was going to be a tough race, here in Arkansas’s First,” he said.

 

At their respective watch parties, both candidates were keeping an interested eye on the national races unfolding at the same time.

 

“There’s a lot to celebrate, nationally,” said Desai.

Credit Ann Kenda / ARKANSAS PUBLIC MEDIA
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ARKANSAS PUBLIC MEDIA
Chintan Desai at his watch party at Legends Barbeque in Jonesboro on Tuesday evening.

Both candidates also took some time to note the candidacy of Libertarian Elvis Presley, who bears the same name as the late superstar and has worked as an Elvis impersonator. Presley finished with about two percent of the vote.

 

“I found him to be a very delightful individual,” said Crawford.

 

Credit FACEBOOK
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FACEBOOK
Libertarian party candidate Elvis Presley

 

"I thought he ran a spirited campaign.  I respect anyone who’s willing to stand up for what they believe In,” said Desai.

Ann Kenda joined Arkansas Public Media in January 2017 from Sudbury, Massachusetts. She is a graduate of Syracuse University and previously worked in public radio, commercial radio and newspaper in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. She focuses on health, justice, education and energy as part of the Arkansas Public Media team. Her stories can be found on the airwaves, ArkansasPublicMedia.org and social media.