My Competition in the Primary and General Elections

Who is running against Diana Lawrence? The other candidates.

It may seem unusual for a candidate to mention the names of her competitors and provide links to their websites, but I believe elections belong to the public. The public has the job of electing the Representative they wish to serve as their proxy, their voice in Congress.

I like the example shown in the classic Christmas film "Miracle on 34th Street." The Macy's Santa Claus famously directs shoppers to other stores when Macy's doesn't have the specific toy a child wants. This unconventional good will policy of treating customers with kindness and honesty ultimately benefits the business. Elections are your chance to shop for your best representation. To do that properly you need to compare all the candidates.

Primary elections often are overlooked by voters, but they are extremely important, especially this time This is where the Democratic candidate that will compete with Steve Womack is selected. It is not just a formality; the two Democratic candidates have very different world-views and will serve differently.

See the Ballotpedia page about this election.

The General Election (November 3, 2026)

In the General Election (November 3, 2026) I expect to compete with the incumbent Republican Congressional Representative, Steve Womack. Steve Womack won the 2010 election and has represented our district since January 3, 2011. His current term ends on January 3, 2027.

See Steve Womack's Ballotpedia page to see his background and links to his websites.

I hope to replace him and have the honor of representing you. Womack has been a yes-man and rubber-stamp to Trump, failing to take care of his constituents in Arkansas.

An Independent candidate named Christopher Hocevar is also running and hopes to be on the ballot.

See Christopher Hocevar's Ballotpedia page to see his background and links to his websites.

The Democratic Primary Election (March 3, 2026)

I was the first Democratic candidate to announce that I was running for this office. I filed my campaign with the Federal Election Commission on January 25, just nine days after President Trump was inaugurated and it was clear that Congress was not standing up to him. My public announcement was April 5 in front of a large audience of "Hands Off" protesters in Fayetteville. The Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette published an article about my campaign on May 29.

Robb Ryerse became a candidate on June 6. See Robb Ryerse's Ballotpedia page to see his background and links to his websites.

Ryerse claims he was unaware of my campaign when he filed. On a video interview posted July 10 he said he became a candidate because someone needed to challenge Steve Womack, and now he hoped to discourage other candidates from entering the race since that would cause a Primary. (I was already a candidate, so there will be a primary.) On another interview, posted July 17, Ryerse again disingenuously pretends to be the sole Democratic candidate, even though the interviewer, Irvin Camacho, had recently talked with me and knew this was untrue. I had talked with Chris Jones on April 15 at a Democratic function in Fayetteville. Jones and Ryerse were both parters with the Vortex PAC, and it seems inconceivable that Jones did not share this information, especially since the two men are now both candidates and campaigning together. Ryerse is certainly entitled to run a campaign, but I think it dishonest to pretend ignorance about my existing campaign.

Ryerse was a pastor in his professional life. He grew up in a fundamentalist church and worked for ten years in a fundamentalist church. He admits that he felt dishonest the whole ten years, but stuck with it because it was his living. He left that church, moved to Arkansas, and founded his own church, Vintage Fellowship in Fayetteville, which closed during the Covid crisis. He is a progressive evangelical.

Ryerse, now a Democrat, ran as a Republican in 2018 trying to unseat Womack. He lost in that Republican Primary election with 15.8% of the vote.

Ryerse has worked as a professional political consultant before and after his election attempt. He is also an author of three books.

In 2019 Ryerse worked with Sarah Colt Productions to produce a documentary about his Republican run for Congress. It is called "True Believer" and is available on The Atlantic website. Although he is my opponent now, this is a charming story.