Arkansas Senate race: Bequette charges Boozman, GOP establishment have 'not been leading from the front'

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Jake Bequette, the U.S. Army veteran and former NFL player running for Senate as a Republican in Arkansas, warned in an interview with Fox News that Democrats are "on a mission" to "radically transform" the country, slammed establishment Republicans and vowed to "stand unafraid and unapologetically" for pro-American policies and traditional American values if elected.

Bequette, who is primary-challenging Republican Sen. John Boozman, reflected on President Biden's first year in office and the need for "bold, conservative warriors" in Washington.

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"President Biden, he promised unity, and he has delivered unity," Bequette told Fox News. "Except its unified opposition and disgust with his presidency and his administration."

Bequette, pointing to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, rising inflation and the Biden administration's botched withdrawal from Afghanistan, said Democrats "can never admit defeat."

"There is no reflection, there is no pondering, you know, hey, are we on the wrong track here? Or do we need to reevaluate our policies or our tactics on any front? Whether it be militarily, monetary policy, whether it be COVID restrictions and mandates?" Bequette said. "Whatever it is, there is no second guessing. They just keep pressing forward."

"These are not yesterday’s Democrats. This is not Ronald Reagan and Tip O’Neill going back and forth on the corporate tax rate," Bequette continued. "These are people who are on a mission to radically transform the country. And they are never going to stop until they really feel political defeat and understand that they are never going to win an election again in America if they keep down this road."

Bequette lumped his opponent Boozman in with the Republican establishment "that has not been leading from the front in Arkansas."

Jake Bequette of the Arkansas Razorbacks warms up before a game against the New Mexico Lobos at War Memorial Stadium on Sept. 10, 2011, in Little Rock, Arkansas. (Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)

"We’re a deep red, Republican state. A very pro-Trump, America First state," Bequette said. "Unfortunately, too many of our elected Republican leaders, they’re just empty suits who simply have an ‘R’ next to their name."

"We need leaders who can actually move the needle and fight back against the radical Democrats and the failures of this current administration, and that’s why I am in this race, and I think the people of Arkansas are ready for a change," Bequette said.

Boozman, though, enjoys an endorsement from former President Trump – who threw his support behind the candidate in March 2021 – months before Bequette launched his campaign.

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"No one has more respect for President Trump than me, and that endorsement came before I got into the race," Bequette said, highlighting his own endorsements from Reps. Madison Cawthorn, R-N.C., and Burgess Owens, R-Utah.

Bequette, again swiping at the Republican establishment, said its members have "not been responsive" to concerns of those in Arkansas.

"That is part of the reason why President Trump galvanized the state of Arkansas and the entire country in 2016, which propelled him to the White House," Bequette said. "And that movement is not going away."

Former President Trump, right, endorsed GOP Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark., left, in March 2021.

Bequette, who enlisted in the U.S. Army in August 2017, completed Army Ranger school in October 2018 and became part of the 101st Airborne Division deployed to Iraq, said the United States is at "an all-time low" in the country’s history in terms of veteran representation in Washington.

"Historically, from the very founding of our country, people who have been our political leaders, a prerequisite to that, and in most cases, has been military service," Bequette said.

"You know, political service should be a sacrifice," he continued. "As the founders of our country said in the Declaration of Independence, you know, they were putting their lives, their fortunes, their sacred honor."

He added that politics is "not meant to be a career" or a "lifetime appointment," and if it is, Bequette says, "you are enriching yourself and just enhancing your own ego and prestige."

"Unfortunately, that’s what political service and politics has turned into in many cases," he said. "And I think that’s directly reflected in the lack of veterans we’re seeing in Washington. That’s gotta change." 

Bequette said the "average voter has an appetite for people who have worn the uniform, and demonstrated they’re willing to put it all on the line for this country, and who have a strong set of beliefs that they are willing to bet everything on."

"And that’s why I’m here," he said. "I wore the uniform and deployed to Iraq with the 101st Airborne because I love this country, I’m willing to sacrifice for it, and I’m willing to put everything on the line to be in this campaign, to take on the establishment and to vigorously represent the people of Arkansas." 

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If elected, Bequette said he would lead on issues "important to the people of Arkansas," including securing the border and "getting critical race theory out of our schools."

"I’m going to lead on restoring the actual mission of our military, which is fighting, and winning, our nation’s wars, not conducting social justice experiments," he said. "But really, what the people of Arkansas, what they care about, they want to see leaders who believe in the America that they grew up in, the America that has always been the leader on the world stage, that has fostered unparalleled economic growth."

"I’m going to be a voice," he continued. "There is no Arkansas constituent, there is no Arkansas voter, who is going to have to wonder where Jake Bequette stands, where Sen. Bequette stands, on the issues."

He added: "They’re going to know."