| State senate | Arkansas |
|---|---|
| Term start | January 19, 2019 |
| Predecessor | Jeremy Young Hutchinson |
| Constituency | 33rd district (2019–2023) 16th district (2023–present) |
| State house 1 | Arkansas |
| District 1 | 28th |
| Term start 1 | January 10, 2011 |
| Term end 1 | January 19, 2019 |
| Predecessor 1 | Barbara Nix |
| Successor 1 | Jasen Kelly |
| Birth date | August 11, 1958 (age 68) |
| Birth place | Damascus, Arkansas, U.S. |
| Party | Republican |
| Education | Trinity College of the Bible and Theological Seminary (BA) |
Kim Davin Hammer (born 11 August 1958) is a Missionary Baptist preacher and politician who has served in the Arkansas Senate since 2019. A Republican, he was previously a member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from 2011 to 2019. He hosts a weekly conservative talk radio show.[1]
Biography
Hammer was a member of the Arkansas House of Representatives for eight years before being elected to the state Senate in 2018.[2] He lives in Benton, Arkansas.[3]
In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic in Arkansas, Hammer was one of several Republican state legislators who sued Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, a fellow Republican, over public health measures that he ordered to prevent the spread of the virus. An Arkansas judge dismissed the suit.[4]
In 2021, Hammer promoted Donald Trump's claim that the 2020 presidential election was "stolen"; after Trump was impeached for a second time, wrote in a Facebook post that Democrats were "enemies" and called for "political war" to be waged against them. Hammer deleted the post after it garnered criticism.[5] In 2021, as part of Republican efforts to restrict voting following Trump's defeat, Hammer introduced a bill to eliminate early voting in Arkansas on the last Monday before Election Day, a measure that voting-rights groups described as voter suppression. The bill passed the Senate on a 19–13 vote, but failed in the state House on a 43–39 vote.[6][7]
In 2021, Hammer opposed the grant of a liquor-sales permit for a new Costco Wholesale in west Little Rock, a portion of which is in his district. Hammer wrote a letter to the director of the Alcohol Beverage Control Division, contending that the public's needs were "being adequately met by these existing businesses."[8] By contrast, Little Rock's mayor and vice mayor supported Costco's permit request.[8] The director initially denied Costco's permit application,[8][9] but this decision was reversed after a successful appeal by Costco to the Control Board directors.[9]
References
- ^ The Kim Hammer Show Archived 2021-04-18 at the Wayback Machine, KDXE.
- ^ "Kim Hammer". Arkansas Senate
- ^ "Senator Kim Hammer (R) - Arkansas State Legislature". www.arkleg.state.ar.us
- ^ John Lynch, Judge rejects suit by Arkansas lawmakers opposing virus orders, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (October 15, 2020).
- ^ Max Brantley, Sen. Kim Hammer declares 'war' on Democrats in now-removed Facebook post, Arkansas Times (January 16, 2021).
- ^ Rachel Herzog, House rejects bill to lop day of early voting, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (April 28, 2021).
- ^ Rachel Herzog, Senate OKs early voting ban on day before election, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (April 23, 2021).
- ^ Noel Oman, Liquor sales at new Costco in Little Rock hit bump after lawmaker objects, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (May 28, 2021).
- ^ John Lynch, Permit to sell liquor disputed, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (July 18, 2021).