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Diana decided to become a candidate while watching the events unfold on Inauguration Day for President and watching him sign a big stack of executive orders. She filed her campaign nine days later.

From her speech: "I talk with future constituents most days. Nearly everyone places 'Protecting Democracy' at the absolute very top of our priority list. Nothing else can possibly matter as much, and progress on nearly any issue is nearly impossible until democracy has been restored. I care about many issues, including many outlined in Democratic Party platforms, and many that are and will-be identified by my constituents. Protecting Democracy depends on winning the majority in Congress, both the House and the Senate."

NOTE: The photographer accidentally missed the opening moment of both the introduction and Diana's speech.

Sunrise Anchor and Reporter Yuna Lee brought Diana Lawrence into their Rogers, Arkansas studio on September 3. The "On the Record" program will present interviews for this race, and others within Arkansas.

Two Democrats are currently running campaigns to replace the Republican 8-term incumbent Representative Steve Womack. There will be a Primary election on March 3, and one of us will go on to challenge Womack. Womack is a rubber-stamp yes-man to Trump, and is enabling the decay of our democracy.

Diana Lawrence and Robb Ryerse were each given 15 minutes to talk and take questions.

Almost everyone Diana talks with says that protecting democracy is the most important issue of the day. The only way to do that is to elect a Congress that be a check and balance to Trump, standing up to him. That happens only if a Democratic majority is elected to the House and to the Senate.

Diana knows that Labor Unions are important, and they have been personally important in her life.

In Diana's past election attempts in Wisconsin she had the support of several labor unions.

Town Hall Meetings are opportunities for constituents to share their concerns with their elected officials, and for the elected officials to listen to the constituents. This event was organized by Indivisible NWA because our elected officials are not organizing their own townhall events. Congress Rep. Steve Womack, Senator Tom Cotton, and Senator John Boozman were invited, but they declined the opportunity to be there or they simply ignored the invitation. Diana Lawrence was there and spoke for 90 seconds, following the excellent presentations.

The presentation speakers were: Laura Kellams about Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families. Kathy Grisham about local health care. Joanna Krause of Canopy NWA. Hershey Garner for Arkansas ACLU. And Irvin Camacho of the Alliance for Immigrant Respect and Education (AIRE). Our elected legislators should have been present to hear these messages.

Diana introduced herself and what she is running for. She thanked the program speakers for their messages and for the work they have been doing. And she borrowed the "I have a dream" statement made by MLK, Jr. to state her own dreams. Diana dreams that these things will someday not be needed. That someday we won't need people to help the downtrodden or the immigrant. That someday we won't need to have such battles about health care. There are more important things we could be working on. We need to just solve these problems ASAP.

The room had been setup with empty chairs on stage. These were meant for Womack, Cotton and Boozman. In their absense, these men were represented by their coardboard cutout images. The full 106-minute video of the event is available here on Youtube thanks to Indivisable NWA.

This event was not an endorsement, actual or implied, for any candidate running for election in 2026.

Town Hall Meetings are opportunities for constituents to share their concerns with their elected officials, and for the elected officials to listen to the constituents. The incumbent Congressional Representative, Steve Womack, does not hold in-person meetings. These meetings were organized by Diana Lawrence for the benefit of all who show up.

Diana Lawrence used this opportunity in front of a large crowd, on a cold, windy, rainy day, to announce her campaign. She is running for US Congress for Arkansas District 3. Incumbent Representative Steve Womack is no longer assured of winning reelection in 2026.

If our elected representatives will not exercise their responsibility to control Trump then they will face challengers in their elections.

When I participated in the program this was a competitive program to enter, with an application, reference letters, interviews and a fee. There were 25 students in my class.

I also completed the Camp Wellstone training program.