Three Republican candidates — including two from Carroll County — announced their candidacy Monday for the District 6 seat in the Arkansas House of Representatives.

Carroll County District 4 Justice of the Peace Hunter Rivett, Berryville businessman Rodney Ballance and Omaha businessman Cody Rogers all announced they will be seeking the seat currently held by Republican Harlan Breaux of Holiday Island. District 6 includes portions of Carroll and Boone counties. Breaux is not seeking re-election.

Rivett and Rogers issued news releases Monday, while Breaux endorsed Ballance at Monday night’s meeting of the Carroll County Republican Committee.

“After much prayer and conversation with family and friends, I am excited to announce my campaign for Arkansas State Representative today,” Rivett said in a news release. “As a Justice of the Peace for Carroll County, I have a record of being a strong voice for the conservative values of our district. I have supported and voted for limited government and less regulation, cutting government spending, removing government red tape and backing our law enforcement. I will continue to fight and stand for these conservative values as the next State Representative for District 6.”

Upon announcing his candidacy, Rivett also stated: “I am a proven, experienced, conservative Christian Republican, and I will always protect the sanctity of human life, oppose any encroachment on the constitutional right to keep and bear arms, defend election integrity and public safety, and stand up for our shared values of faith, family, and freedom. I humbly ask for the support and votes from the people of District 6 in the Republican Primary in 2026.”

Rivett, 28, is a history teacher at Berryville High School. In 2022, he was elected Justice of the Peace in Carroll County. He previously served as chairman of the Carroll County Republican Committee.

Ballance is the majority owner and chief executive officer of Hometown Internet, Berryville Broadband and Freshstream TV.

“I see a tremendous opportunity for us here,” Ballance said. “… We can’t forget about the legacy we have here. We can’t forget about the people who made our county as great as it is. We can’t forget about industries that are the backbone and the absolute nucleus for which all the jobs were created.”

Ballance said his companies have applied for grants to expand career training in technology for the Connect 4 program — a partnership between the Berryville, Eureka Springs and Green Forest school districts that offers industrial training to high school juniors and seniors.

“Technology is something that’s being missed out on here in our area, and we’re getting bypassed,” he said. “If we can create these jobs and we can provide this training, we can bring up not just the future generation, but also bring current generations into a better understanding of possibilities and opportunities. So a lot of things are available to us.”

In response to a question, Ballance outlined his top priorities if he is elected.

“My biggest drive is I want to do what’s right in God’s eyes in all things I do,” he said. “I want to make sure that our constitutional rights are protected, and I want to make sure every child gets a right to be born and to fulfill God’s mission in their life. That is paramount to me.”

Ballance, 63, serves as post commander for American Legion Post 172 in Berryville and is president of the Berryville Lions Club and vice president of the Carroll County Gideons Camp.

Rivett also spoke at the county Republican meeting, saying his experience has “uniquely equipped me to represent Carroll and Boone counties in the state legislature.”

Rogers, 44, announced his candidacy in a new release on Monday.