LITTLE ROCK, AR — Arkansas small business owner, veteran, mental health advocate, and former candidate for Arkansas governor, James Richard Russell III (Rus), will officially announce his candidacy for the U.S. Senate on Wednesday, August 27, at 12:00 p.m. in the rotunda of the Arkansas State Capitol at 500 Woodlane St. in downtown Little Rock. Russell, a Democrat, is running to challenge incumbent Senator Tom Cotton in the 2026 election.
Born in Louisiana and raised between Shreveport and rural Arkansas, Russell brings a blend of urban grit and rural heart to his politics. A longtime resident of Central Arkansas, he and his wife, Wendy, have owned and operated a small outpatient mental health clinic in Little Rock since 2014. His public service spans roles in healthcare credentialing, bioethics, compliance, and disaster preparedness, along with his earlier military training as a Nuclear, Biological, Radiological, and Chemical Warfare Specialist for the Arkansas Army National Guard.
Russell entered politics in 2021 as a Democratic candidate for governor, making a statewide impact by running one of the most people-powered campaigns in Arkansas history — yet overperforming expectations. Now, he’s bringing that same energy to the U.S. Senate race to match Tom Cotton's war chest through grassroots donations on the state and national levels.
“I am running for U.S. Senate to replace Tom Cotton because Arkansas deserves leaders who are accountable to their constituents, not just to their donors,” said Russell. “We need leaders who push for legislation and tax structures that benefit the working class and increase economic mobility—not more rubber-stamp politicians mired in the past and beholden to the status quo.”
Russell’s platform is grounded in progressive values and fiscal realism. He champions equity across race, gender, and orientation, believes in the full dignity of veterans and working families, and sees “culture war” politics as distractions from the real fight: economic injustice and corporate control over government.
Russell's Key Policy Beliefs Include:
- Human rights are non-negotiable: “Race, gender, sexuality, and conditions of birth: all of these are human rights issues. They must all be addressed if we're to embody the ideas of justice that we preach.”
- Economic freedom and personal liberty: “True freedom is both ‘to’ and ‘from.’ You can't have one without the other.”
- Coming together across differing political ideologies: “If you’re willing to die for your country, then having difficult conversations with an open mind should be a breeze.”
- Ending the culture wars: “The culture wars are, and always have been, a distraction from the real conflict of class warfare.”
Russell is a proud lifetime member of the Democratic Black Caucus, and supports community organizations like Arkansas Renters United, Arkansas United, PRISM, Get Loud Arkansas, and the Young Democrats of Arkansas (YDAR). He has also directly supported under-resourced students and families, including those in Arkansas’s Marshallese and immigrant communities.
With deep roots in Arkansas and a career marked by proven dedication to service over spectacle, Russell's campaign will focus on restoring faith in government through transparency, accountability, and action.
Campaign Announcement:
WHEN: Wednesday, August 27, 2025
TIME: 12:00 PM Noon
WHERE: Arkansas State Capitol Rotunda
500 Woodlane St.
Little Rock, AR 72201
To learn more about Rus and his campaign policies, visit his website at www.russellforar.com and follow on social media.
Facebook: facebook.com/JamesRussell3rd
Instagram: @russellforar
Twitter/X: @JamesRussell3rd
TikTok: @russellforarkansas
YouTube: @CommitteeToElectJamesRussell
Bluesky: @jamesrussell3rd.bsky.social