Bring on the 2010 legislative races -- UPDATE

Rep. Lindsley Smith (D-Fayetteville) was quoted in today's Northwest Arkansas Times as saying that Greg Leding and Bill Ramsey will be among the candidates who intend to seek her District 92 House seat in 2010. Smith (pictured right by cell phone pic leaving the chamber for the final time in the 2009 legislative session) cannot run for re-election due to term limits. Leding runs several blogs/websites and has been active in the political arena in NWA. He's employed by the Fayetteville School District. Ramsey served in the Arkansas House for 18 years and is the former president of the Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce.

We'll keep a close eye on formal announcements from these and other legislative candidates from around the state. Send tips to steve@steveharrelson.com. A list of term limited House and Senate members is on the jump, and there are several first and second term House members expected to announce for other legislative and constitutional offices soon. That means there'll be at least 34 open House seats and 13 open Senate seats up for grabs. There will also be other incumbents challenged, although no formal announcements have been made yet.