LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — State Senator Trent Garner (R-El Dorado) announced Monday that he was not seeking re-election for the District 27 seat.
In a statement posted to Twitter, Garner said serving the people of south Arkansas was one of his "life's greatest honors."
He said when he first ran and was elected he spoke against career politicians.
"After seeing how the people's business is done in Little Rock the last few years, I believe stronger than ever a true public servant should be careful about how much time they spend in power," Garner said.
In his statement, he called Governor Asa Hutchinson a career politician whose time in office ended up "violating conservative principles for power." Garner also claimed Hutchinson "sold out the people" of Arkansas and voiced his support for former President Donald Trump.
Garner said he will focus on building his legal practice and "bringing conservative leadership to the judiciary."
"Now more than ever, we need strong leadership in our legal system," Garner said. "I plan on providing that leadership for the people of south Arkansas."
Garner was known for proposing a law that banned mask mandates in the state. Gov. Hutchinson later criticized the law and regretted signing it into law. That law was ruled unconstitutional by a judge at the end of 2021.
He also filed a resolution with other Republican lawmakers to support a Texas lawsuit which attempted to challenge the 2020 presidential election results in four battleground states. Garner claimed at the time without evidence that "rampant fraud and corruption stole the election" from Trump.
The lawsuit was quickly rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court.
The state senator was first elected in 2016 to serve the people of District 27, which includes Calhoun County and parts of Cleveland, Grant, Jefferson, Ouachita, and Union counties.