Jack Fortner
Jack Fortner (Republican Party) was a member of the Arkansas House of Representatives, representing District 4. He assumed office on January 9, 2023. He left office on January 13, 2025.
Fortner (Republican Party) ran for re-election to the Arkansas House of Representatives to represent District 4. He won in the general election on November 8, 2022.
On July 18, 2023, Fortner announced he would not seek re-election to the Arkansas House of Representatives District 4.[1]
Biography
Jack Fortner served in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War. Fortner earned a degree from the University of Nevada. His career experience includes owning a business and working as a cattleman. Fortner served as a justice of the peace for Marion County and has been affiliated with the American Legion and the Arkansas Cattlemen’s Association.[2]
Committee assignments
2023-2024
Fortner was assigned to the following committees:
- House Agriculture, Forestry and Economic Development Committee, Chair
- House Revenue and Taxation Committee
- Joint Energy Committee
2021-2022
Fortner was assigned to the following committees:
- House Agriculture, Forestry and Economic Development Committee
- House Management Committee
- House Revenue and Taxation Committee, Vice-chair
- Joint Budget Committee
- Joint Performance Review Committee
2019-2020
Fortner was assigned to the following committees:
- Legislative Joint Auditing Committee
- House Agriculture, Forestry and Economic Development Committee
- House Revenue and Taxation Committee, Vice Chairperson
2017 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:
| Arkansas committee assignments, 2017 |
|---|
| • Agriculture, Forestry and Economic Development |
| • Public Transportation |
| • Joint Performance Review |
| • Joint Performance Review |
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Elections
2024
Jack Fortner did not file to run for re-election.
2022
See also: Arkansas House of Representatives elections, 2022
General election
General election for Arkansas House of Representatives District 4
Incumbent Jack Fortner won election in the general election for Arkansas House of Representatives District 4 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Jack Fortner (R) | 100.0 | 9,790 |
| Total votes: 9,790 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for Arkansas House of Representatives District 4
Incumbent Jack Fortner defeated Bruce Emerson in the Republican primary for Arkansas House of Representatives District 4 on May 24, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Jack Fortner | 63.4 | 3,714 |
 | Bruce Emerson | 36.6 | 2,148 | |
| Total votes: 5,862 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2020
See also: Arkansas House of Representatives elections, 2020
General election
General election for Arkansas House of Representatives District 99
Incumbent Jack Fortner won election in the general election for Arkansas House of Representatives District 99 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Jack Fortner (R) | 100.0 | 11,965 |
| Total votes: 11,965 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Incumbent Jack Fortner advanced from the Republican primary for Arkansas House of Representatives District 99.
2018
General election
The general election was canceled. Incumbent Jack Fortner won election in the general election for Arkansas House of Representatives District 99.
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Arkansas House of Representatives District 99
Incumbent Jack Fortner advanced from the Republican primary for Arkansas House of Representatives District 99 on May 22, 2018.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | Jack Fortner |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2016
General election
Ballotpedia's analysis revealed that only 42 of the 100 seats up for election in 2016 involved competition between Democrats and Republicans. This made it numerically impossible for Democrats to take control of either Arkansas legislative chamber in 2016.
The reason for the low competition was that candidates were in safe districts for their parties. Between 1972 and 2014, an upward trend in uncontested state legislative elections occurred.
The Democratic Party of Arkansas focused its 2016 efforts on the state’s House of Representatives. Without the numbers to win the state Senate, H.L. Moody, communications director for the Democratic Party of Arkansas, told Ballotpedia that the party’s goal was to “start building back where we can,” beginning with the House.
Ballotpedia spoke to political analyst Richard Winger, who said that the early primary deadline for the 2016 elections was a possible factor as well, making it difficult for Democrats to recruit candidates early.
The primary election was held on March 1, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing period began at noon local time on November 2, 2015, and ended at noon local time on November 9, 2015.[3] Incumbent Kelley Linck (R) did not seek re-election.
Jack Fortner ran unopposed in the Arkansas House of Representatives District 99 general election.[4]
| Arkansas House of Representatives, District 99 General Election, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Republican |  Jack Fortner (unopposed) | |
| Source: Arkansas Secretary of State | ||
Jack Fortner defeated Bruce Emerson in the Arkansas House of Representatives District 99 Republican Primary.[5][6]
| Arkansas House of Representatives, District 99 Republican Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Jack Fortner |
60.42% | 3,204 | |
| Republican | Bruce Emerson | 39.58% | 2,099 | |
| Total Votes | 5,303 | |||
Special election
A special election for the position of Arkansas House of Representatives District 99 was called for November 8.
The seat was vacant following Kelley Linck's (R) resignation on June 3, 2016.[7]
Jack Fortner (R) defeated Richard Bernard (L) in the special election.[8]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Jack Fortner |
82.1% | 8,086 | |
| Libertarian | Richard Bernard | 17.9% | 1,759 | |
| Total Votes | 9,845 | |||
Campaign themes
2022
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Jack Fortner did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.
2020
Jack Fortner did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Arkansas scorecards, email suggestions to [email protected].
2023
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2023, click [show]. |
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In 2023, the Arkansas State Legislature was in session from January 9 to May 1.
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2022
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2022, click [show]. |
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In 2022, the Arkansas State Legislature was in session from February 14 to March 15.
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2021
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2021, click [show]. |
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In 2021, the Arkansas State Legislature was in session from January 11 to October 15.
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2020
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2020, click [show]. |
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In 2020, the Arkansas State Legislature was in session from April 8 to April 24.
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2019
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2019, click [show]. |
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In 2019, the Arkansas State Legislature was in session from January 14 through April 24.
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2018
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2018, click [show]. |
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In 2018, the Arkansas State Legislature was in session from February 12 through March 12. The legislature held a special session from March 13 to March 15.
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2017
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2017, click [show]. |
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In 2017, the 91st Arkansas State Legislature was in session from January 9 through May 1. The Legislature held a special session from May 1 to May 3.
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2016
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2016, click [show]. |
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In 2016, the 90th Arkansas State Legislature was in session from April 13 through May 9. The Legislature held a three-day special session from April 6 to April 8 over healthcare. The Legislature held a second special session from May 19 to May 23 over transportation.
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See also
2022 Elections
External links
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Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ ‘’Yellville legislator Jack Fortner won't seek re-election," July 18, 2023
- ↑ Arkansas House of Representatives, "Jack Fortner," accessed March 30, 2023
- ↑ Arkansas Secretary of State, "2016 Election Dates," accessed November 17, 2015
- ↑ Arkansas Secretary of State, "2016 General Election and Nonpartisan Runoff Election," accessed November 23, 2016
- ↑ Arkansas Secretary of State, "Candidate Information," accessed July 25, 2016
- ↑ Arkansas Secretary of State, "2016 Primary Election Results," accessed April 19, 2016
- ↑ Arkansas Times, "Kelley Linck resigns from legislature to lobby for DHS," accessed November 28, 2016
- ↑ Arkansas Secretary of State, "2016 General Election and Nonpartisan Runoff Election," accessed November 28, 2016
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by DeAnn Vaught (R) |
Arkansas House of Representatives District 4 2023-2025 |
Succeeded by Jason Nazarenko (R) |
| Preceded by - |
Arkansas House of Representatives District 99 2016-2023 |
Succeeded by Lane Jean (R) |
