Jim Wooten (politician)

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American politician

Preceded byredistricted

Preceded byvacant

Succeeded byredistricted

BornJames Earl Wooten
(1941-09-20) September 20, 1941 (age 84)

Jim Wooten

Member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from the 59th district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 9, 2023
Preceded by	redistricted
Member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from the 45th district
In office January 14, 2019 – January 8, 2023
Preceded by	vacant
Succeeded by	redistricted

Personal details
Born	James Earl Wooten (1941-09-20) September 20, 1941 (age 84) North Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S.
Party	Republican

James Earl Wooten (born September 20, 1941) is an American politician who has been serving as a member of the Arkansas House of Representatives since 2019. He is a member of the Republican Party. He currently resides in Beebe, Arkansas. He is a member of the Baptist faith.^[1]

Wooten was born on September 20, 1941, in North Little Rock, Arkansas, to Julian Simmons Wooten (1916-1958) and Hazel Marie Lindsey (1914-1994). Julian died when Wooten was 17 due to a coronary occlusion.^[2]^[3] He is the founder and former owner of Tiger Mart convenience store and fuel stations chain, former trooper for the Arkansas State Police, and former director of the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration under David Pryor.^[4]

Politics

Representative Jeremy Gillam resigned on June 15, 2018, creating a vacancy in the 45th district (parts of Lonoke and White counties) during the remainder of the 91st Arkansas General Assembly. For the 92nd Arkansas General Assembly, party nominees were chosen by convention by August 6, 2018. Wooten won the Republican Party of Arkansas nomination and was the only candidate who filed for election. Wooten returned to the House in 2021 without opposition in the 2020 election.

Following redistricting, Wooten was located in the 59th district, which included part of White County. He defeated Democrat William Alcott and Libertarian Kai Schulz in the 2022 election. Wooten had no opponent in 2024. Wooten has been a vocal opponent of the Arkansas LEARNS Act.

2026 Republican primary

Wooten will face Beebe businessman Tony Ferguson II in the March 4, 2026 Republican primary. Wooten's opposition to the Arkansas LEARNS Act has been an important issue in the campaign.^[5]

References

↑ "Jim Wooten - Arkansas House of Representatives". www.arkansashouse.org. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
↑ United States of America, Bureau of the Census; Washington, D.C.; Seventeenth Census of the United States, 1950; Record Group: Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790-2007; Record Group Number: 29; Residence Date: 1950; Home in 1950: North Little Rock, Pulaski, Arkansas; Roll: 4200; Sheet Number: 26; Enumeration District: 60-71
↑ Arkansas Department of Vital Records; Little Rock, Arkansas; Death Certificates; Year: 1958; Roll: 4
↑ Wickline, Michael R. (July 24, 2025). "Beebe businessman to challenge incumbent in House District 59 GOP primary". Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Little Rock, AR: WEHCO Media. Retrieved February 1, 2026.
↑ Earley, Neal (February 1, 2026). "Wooten, LEARNS Act critic, faces primary challenge from Ferguson". Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Lowell, AR: WEHCO Media. Retrieved February 1, 2026.

v t e Members of the Arkansas House of Representatives
95th Arkansas General Assembly (2025-present) Speaker of the House Brian S. Evans (R) Speaker pro tempore Jon Eubanks (R) Majority Leader Howard Beaty (R) Majority Whip Stetson Painter (R) Minority Leader Andrew Collins (D) Minority Whip Denise Garner (D)
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2026 Republican primary

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