With just over three days left to file, two more Republicans have announced their candidacies in the House District 44 special election to replace Rep. Stan Berry (R-Dover), who died on March 23. This brings the total so far to four Republican candidates for the seat.

The filing period runs through noon on April 20, and the special election to fill the seat is scheduled for August 4. Special primary elections, if necessary, will take place on June 2 and, if a special primary runoff is needed, that will occur on June 30.

On Monday, Bill Teeter of Russellville announced his run in a press release. He described himself as “a conservative Republican, lifelong resident of Pope County, and retired public servant.” The release said Teeter had served as assistant director of the county’s office of emergency management, a volunteer firefighter, a 911 dispatcher, a constable, a deputy coroner and a search-and-rescue leader.

Real estate agent Wes Freeman was the fourth candidate to enter this race, announcing his candidacy on Wednesday. According to his press release, Freeman served as president of the Arkansas Realtors Association in 2025 and on its board of directors for almost twenty years, “where he helped review legislation and worked alongside state and federal legislators to protect Arkansans’ private property rights.”

Teeter and Freeman join farmer Brent Boland and salon owner Nikki Phillips in the race for the Republican nomination. No Democratic candidates have announced a run for the seat.

House District 44 includes portions of Pope and Van Buren Counties in north central Arkansas and includes the towns of Dover, Pottsville and Adkins. Berry represented the district from 2003 through 2007, then again from 2019 until his death in March.