Rep. McCollum resigns House seat; still GOP nominee for Benton County Judge - Talk Business & Politics
State Rep. Austin McCollum, R-Bentonville, resigned his House seat Wednesday (Aug. 5) after being arrested this weekend for a domestic violence incident at his home. McCollum, the former House Majority. . .
State Rep. Austin McCollum, R-Bentonville, resigned his House seat Wednesday (Aug. 5) after being arrested this weekend for a domestic violence incident at his home. McCollum, the former House Majority Leader for the Republican House Caucus, was arrested Saturday and charged with third-degree domestic battery, aggravated assault on a family member, and false imprisonment. He made no mention of his intentions to remain or step down as the GOP nominee for Benton County Judge. “Please accept this as my resignation from the Arkansas House of Representatives, effective Wednesday, August 5, 2026. As I focus on my family, I do not intend to fulfill the remainder of my House term. I am thankful to the people of House District 8 for the honor of serving all of Arkansas these past nearly 10 years,” McCollum’s statement read. Rep. Austin McCollum, R-Bentonville. The 5-term legislator faced calls to resign from Speaker of the House Brian Evans, R-Cabot, who threatened to take action in the House to oust him. Gov. Sarah Sanders, Lt. Gov. Leslie Rutledge and Attorney General Tim Griffin all called for his resignation. On Wednesday, Speaker Evans issued a new statement:“The Arkansas House has consistently acted to strengthen our state’s domestic violence laws because there is no place for abuse in our homes or our communities. Rep. McCollum’s resignation is the appropriate step and protects the integrity of the House of Representatives as the legal process moves forward. ”McCollum is still the Republican nominee for Benton County Judge. He has not resigned that position, and he may not be able to withdraw. State law says a party nominee must die, become ill or move away from a district in order to resign. Related