Sen. Keith Ingram not running in 2022

WEST MEMPHIS, Ark. (KAIT) - A longtime Democratic state senator said Friday that he will not seek another term in office in 2022, according to content partner Talk Business & Politics.

Sen. Keith Ingram (D-West Memphis), who also serves as Senate Minority Leader, did not provide a specific reason for the decision. However, he told Talk Business & Politics that he believes the 2021 session was partisan in its approach.

“My decision to leave the political arena at the end of this year was not one I made hastily,” Ingram told Talk Business & Politics. “From my time as mayor of West Memphis to my early days in the legislature, I was determined to be a builder. And for over 12 years, I’ve tried to do just that. I come from a time when your decision-making was guided by what was best for your district and the state and not what was expedient for the party or one’s next campaign. All too often, the good of the people is held hostage by those who are reckless, selfish, and shortsighted.

“In recent years, and especially during the last session, I felt like I spent more time fighting than building. I spent more time trying to defeat foolish, divisive measures than working to pass substantive, meaningful legislation. And with Arkansas politics moving even more-so toward one-party rule in a D.C. win-at-all-cost style, I fear my ability to affect positive change at the state level would continue to diminish.”

Ingram has been a senator since 2013 and served in the state House from 2009 to 2013.

Ingram’s father, Bill, was a state senator from 1963 to 1981, while his brother, Kent, served as a senator from 1981 to 1990.

With redistricting, the district is now District 9, which covers Crittenden, St. Francis, Lee and Phillips counties.

The primary is set for May 24, while the general election is Nov. 8.

The filing period starts Feb. 22 and goes until March 1.