Arkansas Senate District 20 candidates faced off in ASU-TV’s second political debate, outlining their stances on key issues such as education and economic development.

In comparison to the first debate, the second was more heated between the candidates. 

Makenzie Cutler, a senior creative media production major from Hollister, Missouri, served as the executive producer for ASU-TV’s political debates. She said the heated dynamic helped her better understand each candidate’s platform. 

“They both fought for it very diligently and it was very entertaining, but it was also very informative,” Makenzie Cutler said. “It showed me what the candidate stood for and it gave me personally a better idea of who I’m going to be voting for, and helped me put an actual identity to the name.”

The debate featured Republican candidate Dan Sullivan and Democratic candidate Erika Askeland. Each candidate spoke on their initiative to better Arkansas’ educational and economic needs.

Askeland, a public school educator for the past 20 years, is critical of the LEARNS act and Sullivan’s involvement with the legislation.

“I’m watching what’s actually happening from inside our classrooms right now, the teachers’ stress level has been put on them because of the LEARNS Act that my opponent did sign into action,” Askeland said.

The LEARNS Act was enacted on March 8, 2023 by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders to address Arkansas’ education system.

Sullivan defended school choice as a bipartisan solution to Arkansas’ educational challenges and said both parties should work together to improve the system.

“We’ve been on the bottom long enough,” Sullivan said. “With Democrats in charge, it’s time to change that dynamic.”

Askeland criticized Sullivan’s role in Arkansas’ economic disparities, arguing low-income families should be prioritized rather than demonized by policy. 

“We need to do better by the people of District 20. We don’t need to treat people as pariahs,” Askeland said. “These are human beings, they are people that reside in our state and have chosen Arkansas as home and we have a duty to represent them.”

She said tax cuts for the wealthy detract from addressing critical needs such as food security and adequate public education funding. 

“We are the most food insecure state in the entire nation, and if we are making big tax breaks and we’re not taking care of our people, there is a major problem,” Askeland said.

Both candidates agreed on certain policy areas, such as education and healthcare, but Sullivan questioned Askeland’s lack of specifics on how to fund such initiatives, particularly given limited resources. 

“She talks about healthcare for all. That’s a great idea. I agree with her on that. How we achieve that? I don’t know,” Sullivan said. “She hasn’t described how to do that.”

Additionally, he said Askeland’s approach to governance involved raising taxes without clear plans on how to use the revenue effectively. 

“Her philosophy is, ‘Let’s raise the taxes and figure out what to do with it.’ That’s not sustainable,” Sullivan said.

The ASU-TV debate served as a hands-on class for creative media production students to gain real-world experience in debate-style shows.  

“Not only do they get in front of the camera, but they also have to work behind the scenes as well. So that’s been the carryover into doing these debates,” Dustin Sullivan said. 

Dustin, an instructor of creative media production and faculty advisor for ASU-TV, said the students’ control over the production of the debate showed the strength of the program. 

“When the students control it, we know everything’s going great,” Dustin said. “We know we’ve done our job in teaching them the right way of doing things, and they’ve really taken to that. We can stand back and let them do the product.”

Additionally, the debate gave viewers and the audience a preview of what to expect on the ballot this November. 9

Christian Sandoval, a junior creative media production major from Jonesboro, operated camera two during both debate productions. He said it’s important for politicians to connect with college students, as they represent the next generation of voters.  

“It gives them an idea of how candidates can help them, whether they’re struggling or doing really well. It’s about keeping things within the community,” Sandoval said. “This is a diverse college. We all have different backgrounds, whether conservative, democratic, libertarian. It’s about how these politicians can appeal to us and help better our future.

The next debate will feature four candidates on camera, presenting new technical challenges for students working on the production.

“Right now, with just two candidates, something as simple as putting them side by side in a double box is easy, but now we’re going to have four candidates, and switching between them while they talk or react is going to require constant attention,” Dustin said. “You want to make it as aesthetically pleasing as possible while still giving the audience all the information they deserve this close to election time.”

Sandoval said he’s looking forward to hearing what policies the mayoral candidates will propose to make Jonesboro better. 

“As someone who lives in an ever-growing town, local populations can fluctuate, but it’s the community that builds up a city,” Sandoval said. “So, whether it’s Copenhaver or the other candidates, how can they help me as a citizen and help my peers grow in this environment?”

The upcoming debate for Jonesboro mayoral race will take place Oct. 17 at 6 p.m.

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