Accusations fly in House District 9; GOP hopeful says ex-mother-in-law behind skulduggery

A south Arkansas Republican claims local party officials are trying to sabotage his campaign for the District 9 House of Representatives seat by refusing to run a candidate in a special election for the same seat.

The special election was called after the death of Democratic Rep. Sheilla Lampkin, D-Monticello. The special election will be held the same day as the Nov. 8 general election. Democrats will choose their nominee for both elections today {August 4}. The winner of the special election will serve the remainder of the term -- about two months -- before the next General Assembly is sworn in in January.

Jim Hall of Monticello, who will be on the general election ballot after winning the March Republican primary for the seat, said Wednesday that he believes the Republican chairmen of the district's two counties are working with his former mother-in-law to block him from winning the special election. The chairmen of both county committees could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

Hall said his feud with his former mother-in-law, Mary Maloney of Monticello, led to her arrest in February 2015 on a charge of criminal solicitation to commit capital murder. The charge was dropped six days later after the 10th Judicial Circuit's prosecutor's office determined that she withdrew her offer to have Hall killed.

Read more: http://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2016/aug/04/accusations-fly-in-house-district-9-201/?f=news-politics