Copyright Arkansas Online
Your browser does not support the audio element. Kelly Grappe, a marketing specialist from Rose Bud, said Thursday she will run for secretary of state, becoming the first Democrat to announce. Grappe, 54, told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette in an interview that she is running for secretary of state hoping to move the office away from away from "political ideology." She is the head of learning and development at Rock Dental Brands, and is the fourth candidate and the only Democrat to announce their candidacy for secretary of state. She has a background in direct democracy campaigns, helping to run Stand Up Arkansas, a voter engagement non-profit, with her husband Steve Grappe, a political consultant who led the failed campaign to put the LEARNS Act to a referendum. If elected, she wants to make it easier for citizens to put questions on the ballot, saying the secretary office has become politicized in recent years by supporting new laws that further restrict the petition process, she said. "We've seen how when you bring politics in it takes away the power of the people," Grappe said. "And I believe that role should amplify the power of the people and empower the people and make it easier to do things and not harder." State law bars current Secretary of State Cole Jester from running for his office as he was appointed to the position by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders in January to fill a vacancy left by John Thurston, who resigned after being elected state treasurer. Jester, a Republican, is instead running for state land commissioner. The secretary of state is Arkansas' chief elections officer, ensuring voting in the state runs smoothly and is compliant with federal election laws. The secretary of state is also tasked managing business records, security of the state Capitol and upkeep of its grounds. When it comes to filing business records, Grappe said the secretary of state's office can do a better job of modernizing the process, saying "I think there's opportunity to make it easier." Grappe also spoke of "election integrity," as a key issue for her, saying "I believe that we have to have safeguards in place to ensure that, you know, don't have illegal people that are voting." She said wants the secretary of state's office to make it easier for Arkansans to vote, citing the state's low voter turnout rate. Prior to working at Rock Dental Brands, she worked as Verizon and Alltel, serving as the director Verizon's call center in Little Rock. Grappe is originally from Selmer, Tenn., but moved to Sherwood with her family when she was in the 10th grade. She has a bachelor's degree in psychology from Lyon College in Batesville. "I believe that I do bring the experience, my experience at large corporations leading through transformation, leading through challenging times," she said. In addition to Grappe, Republicans State Sen. Kim Hammer, of Benton; Miller County Judge Cathy Hardin Harrison, of Texarkana; and Bryan Norris, a 21-year U.S. Army veteran from Batesville, have also announced their candidacies for secretary of state. Winning a statewide election has not been as for any Democrat in Arkansas, particularly for secretary of state. The last Democrat to serve in that role was Charlie Daniels, who was in office from 2003-2011. In 2022, Republican incumbent John Thurston defeated Democratic challenge Anna Beth Gorman with 67% of the vote. Grappe said her path to victory as a Democrat by trying to move the secretary of state's race beyond partisan politics, saying she has already reached out to Republicans for support. "The secretary of state should not be influenced by ideology," she said. "The secretary of state's role is to uphold the constitution."
