David J. Howell (Arkansas)
David J. Howell (Republican Party) is running for election to the Arkansas House of Representatives to represent District 53. He is on the ballot in the Republican primary on March 3, 2026.[source]
Howell completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
David J. Howell earned a high school diploma from Magnolia High School and a bachelor's degree from Arkansas State University in 2001. His career experience includes working as a pastor.[1]
Elections
2026
See also: Arkansas House of Representatives elections, 2026
General election
The primary will occur on March 3, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.
The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
General election for Arkansas House of Representatives District 53
Jennifer Lewter (D) is running in the general election for Arkansas House of Representatives District 53 on November 3, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Jennifer Lewter (D) | |
| ||||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary
The Democratic primary scheduled for March 3, 2026, was canceled. Jennifer Lewter (D) advanced from the Democratic primary for Arkansas House of Representatives District 53 without appearing on the ballot.
Republican primary
The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
Republican primary for Arkansas House of Representatives District 53
Incumbent Matt Duffield (R) and David J. Howell (R) are running in the Republican primary for Arkansas House of Representatives District 53 on March 3, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Matt Duffield | |
 | David J. Howell | |
| ||||
| = 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. | ||||
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Endorsements
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2022
See also: Arkansas House of Representatives elections, 2022
General election
General election for Arkansas House of Representatives District 53
Matt Duffield won election in the general election for Arkansas House of Representatives District 53 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Matt Duffield (R) | 100.0 | 5,782 |
| Total votes: 5,782 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for Arkansas House of Representatives District 53
Matt Duffield defeated Doug Skelton and David J. Howell in the Republican primary for Arkansas House of Representatives District 53 on May 24, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Matt Duffield | 55.4 | 1,965 |
| Doug Skelton | 23.4 | 832 | ||
| David J. Howell | 21.2 | 752 | |
| Total votes: 3,549 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Campaign themes
2026
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
David J. Howell completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Howell's responses.
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He and his wife Stacy recently launched Open Doors Ministries, a new ministry focused on equipping local churches, meeting the needs of families across our area, and attacking one of Arkansas’s most devastating burdens: crippling medical debt. His ministries carried him to multiple states, last year he spoke to more than 250 church leaders from 32 nations in the Middle East and Africa. He also traveled to Ethiopia where he spoke to nearly 75 members of the Ethiopian Parliament about being a public servant as a Christian Catalyst. While at City Church, David was part of an initiative that eliminated more than $3 million in bad medical debt for the people of Pope County—real relief for real families.
David is also the author of The Man in the Window, a book that challenges believers to live out their faith in ways that transform communities. David and Stacy have been married for 24 years and are blessed with six children, two wonderful sons-in-law/daughters-in-law, and their first grandson.- Being Pro-Life isn’t a slogan to me — it’s a commitment. And if we are truly Pro-Life, we must also be Pro-Family. Protecting the unborn matters, but our responsibility doesn’t end at birth. If we value life in the womb, we must value that same life in the home and in our communities. Being Pro-Family means defending parental rights, strengthening adoption and foster care, protecting children from exploitation, and ensuring safe schools and neighborhoods. It means building an economy where parents can provide without being crushed by inflation or government overreach. Pro-Life must mean Pro-Family — from the womb to the home and toward a hopeful future.
- Russellville should not sit on the sidelines of the new technology economy — we should lead it. As innovation reshapes energy, cybersecurity, AI, and advanced manufacturing, our community must be positioned at the forefront. With Arkansas Tech University, Arkansas Nuclear One, and a strong workforce, we have the foundation to become a hub for information technology and next-generation research. That means investing in infrastructure, expanding broadband, strengthening workforce training, and aggressively pursuing state and federal partnerships. I will fight to ensure Russellville isn’t overlooked, but recognized as a strategic center for technology, security, and economic growth in Arkansas.
- Arkansas Tech University is one of our region’s greatest assets, and we cannot afford to let opportunities pass us by. As funding for research, workforce development, cybersecurity, energy innovation, and advanced technology flows into our state, Russellville must have a strong advocate at the table. I will fight to ensure ATU is positioned to compete for grants, partnerships, and strategic investments. That means building connections between Tech, industry, and state leadership so our students are prepared for high-demand careers and our community benefits from economic growth. We will not be overlooked — we will lead.
Trace Strats PAC
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
Note: Howell submitted the above survey responses to Ballotpedia on February 10, 2026.
2022
David J. Howell did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 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.
See also
2026 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on February 10, 2026
