BRANCH, AR – Adam Watson, a business development professional and small farm operator in Franklin County, has announced his candidacy for the Arkansas Senate, running as an Independent for District 26.
Watson’s decision to enter the race follows more than a year of deep involvement in opposing the proposed prison project in Franklin County-
-an effort that gave him, in his words, “a front-row seat to how political priorities get
forced on rural communities who have no real say in the matters.”
“I’m running because the people of District 26 deserve better than backroom deals and top-down decisions. We deserve honesty, accountability, and a representative who answers to neighbors—-not to party leaders or special interests in Little Rock,” Watson said. “It’s time someone stood up to say enough with the political theater. Let’s get back to facts, fairness, and common sense.”
Watson is the founding director of Gravel & Grit, the nonprofit organizing against the Franklin County prison project, and serves as Vice-Chair of the Arkansas Civic Action Network, an organization focused on civic engagement and education. He brings over a decade of experience as a paralegal and currently works in business development while building a small farming operation in rural Arkansas.
Running as an Independent, Watson’s campaign will focus on issues where he says one-party rule has failed the state while undermining the very values rural Arkansans care about most.
“Whether it’s the attempt to spend millions to build a mega prison with no local input, ignoring the affordability of our healthcare and groceries, weakening Arkansas’s Freedom of Information Act, or denying the District’s basic right to representation—none of it is working for the people,” Watson said. “This isn’t about left versus right. It’s about right versus wrong.”
Watson says his platform will prioritize restoring local control to rural counties, protecting our rural hospitals, strengthening government transparency, leveling the playing field between public and private schools, reining in runaway spending and political patronage, and reviving accountability and ethics in state government.
He says his campaign slogan— “People over party. Policy over politics.”-sums up the values he says are missing from the State Capitol, adding:
“I’m not running to play the political game—I’m running to make sure decisions are made with you, not for you.
This campaign isn’t powered by party machines. It’s grounded in real people, real problems, and real solutions. They’ve had their turn, now it’s ours. Our government works best when the people rule.”
