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2/16/2020
Arkansas Democrat Gazette

Arkansan goes west in presidential run

WASHINGTON -- Fresh off her 25th-place finish in the New Hampshire Democratic primary, presidential candidate Mosie Boyd of Fort Smith is campaigning this week in delegate-rich California before returning to the Natural State.

The 50-year-old attorney captured 32 out of the 296,622 votes in Tuesday's Granite State contest, according to unofficial returns. After thanking New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardner and retrieving "Mosie Boyd for President" yard signs from towns and hamlets, she headed west.

One of the campaign highlights, thus far, has been spending time with other lesser-known presidential candidates, she said.

She hopes that there will be harmony no matter who wins her party's nomination.

"From my perspective, all the Democratic presidential candidates need to work together as a team. We need to think of this as spring training, and make sure not to injure each other in the scrimmages. Because we need to work together on the same team in November to win the Super Bowl. And even after the November election we need to remember that we're all Americans, and we're all on the same team," she said in an email.

In addition to New Hampshire, Boyd has secured spots on the California and Arkansas ballots. Both states hold their primaries on March 3.

"It's especially fun campaigning in the Fort Smith area because people know that a local person is running for president and they're often excited to meet me. Many young women in the Fort Smith area tell me they are excited to elect a woman to The White House," she wrote.

Boyd said she appreciates the 32 New Hampshire voters who supported her candidacy.

"My goal was at least one, so I'm grateful," she said.

Speeches spotlight notables from state

U.S. Rep. French Hill, R-Ark., gave four consecutive speeches on the House floor Wednesday. Three paid tribute to outstanding Arkansans; the fourth highlighted human-rights abuses in Venezuela.

The congressman from Little Rock shared the life story of retired Lt. Col. Wilmer Plate, who died on Jan. 1, 2019, just a few months short of his 100th birthday.

A 30-year veteran of the military, Plate was an Army Air Corps pilot during World War II. After the war, he reenlisted, serving -- among other places -- in Germany, Canada and California.

After retirement, he penned his memoir.

In 2016, Plate was awarded the French Legion of Honor medal.

"Will was a true American patriot, one of which all Americans and Arkansans can admire," Hill said.

Hill also eulogized Forrest L. Wood, the founder of Ranger Boats, calling him "one of Arkansas' great outdoorsmen."

The Flippin native, who died last month at age 87, "was considered a pioneer in the fishing industry and the father of the modern bass boat," Hill noted.

Ranger Boats, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2018, is one of the area's major employers and enjoys a worldwide reputation.

Wood was also a public servant, Hill noted.

"As a longtime Arkansas Game and Fish commissioner, he was a strong conservationist and devoted to Arkansas," the lawmaker said.

In a third speech, Hill congratulated retired Maj. Gen. Ronald S. Chastain for being appointed as a civilian aide to the secretary of the Army.

The Paris native was one of eight people given the honor. His investiture ceremony was Jan. 14 at the Pentagon.

Chastain spent more than 36 years in the Army National Guard and is former Arkansas National Guard adjutant general.

He also commanded the 25th Rear Area Operations Center in Desert Storm and the 39th Brigade Combat Team in Operation Iraqi Freedom II, according to an article by Army Public Affairs.

Ex-Cotton aide up for posting at U.N.

President Donald Trump intends to appoint one of U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton's former staff members to a post in New York City, the White House announced Tuesday.

Alex Nelson Wong will serve as alternate U.S. representative for special political affairs in the United Nations, a White House news release stated. The New Jersey man will enjoy the rank of ambassador and also will serve as an alternate representative to General Assembly sessions.

Wong once served as Cotton's foreign-policy adviser and general counsel. Cotton, a Republican from Dardanelle, and Wong both are graduates of Harvard Law School.

A former law clerk for Judge Janice Rogers Brown of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, Wong most recently has served as deputy special representative for North Korea at the State Department and as the deputy assistant secretary for North Korea in the State Department's Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, the White House stated.