On October 10, former Arkansas State Representative Dwayne Dobbins filed a lawsuit to get on the November ballot as the Democratic nominee in the 39th State House district. Currently, the only ballot-listed candidate is the Green Party nominee, Richard Carroll. The lawsuit is in Pulaski County Circuit Court.

Dobbins won this year’s Democratic primary for that seat, but the Democratic Party had refused to certify him. He had earlier been in the legislature, but had resigned as part of a plea bargain. In exchange for resigning from the legislature, he had been allowed to plea bargain down to a misdemeanor charge. Dobbins’ wife had then been elected to his seat. This year, everyone had expected her to run for re-election, but she did not file, and he did file, at the very last instant before filing closed. If other Democrats had known he would be filing, they would have filed as well. Therefore, after his name had been removed from the November ballot, the Democrats had been left without a ballot-listed candidate, although two Democrats are running as write-in candidates. See this story.