Voter Choice

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U.S. House, District 4: who gets your vote?

What this role does

U.S. representatives work with the Senate on U.S. laws and spending.

These votes help set U.S. taxes and pay for public services.

  • National laws
  • Federal spending

Read about them. Then tap a button to pick one. You can change it later.

Data last updated: Jul 15, 2026 (federal ballot roster). Verify approaching elections with your state election office.

Our reading of the duties, not an official requirement. Doesn't rank or recommend anyone.

Office role sources

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In the role now
Congressman Bruce Westerman

Congressman Bruce Westerman

U.S. House · Arkansas District 4

NationalRepublican

Candidate
James "Rus" Russell, III

James "Rus" Russell, III

Running for U.S. House · Arkansas District 4

NationalDemocrat

Congressman Bruce WestermanCurrent repJames "Rus" Russell, IIIChallenger

Job fit

Congressman Bruce Westerman

Offices held

  • Arkansas House Minority Leader, 2012 – 2013 1
  • He served as a board member for the Fountain Lake School District and was later elected to two terms in the Arkansas General Assembly, where he was the state’s first Republican House Majority Leader since reconstruction. 1

Education

  • B.S., University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Ark., 1990; 2

James "Rus" Russell, III

Other work

  • Following this, he worked for Arkansas Children's Hospital as a Medical Staff Coordinator, serving on all Executive Committees including Bioethics, Emergency Response, Policies & Procedures, and several others. 3
  • James and his wife, Wendy, have lived in the greater central Arkansas region for over 25 years and have owned and operated their outpatient mental health business in Little Rock since 2014. 3

Education

  • graduate of the University of Central Arkansas in Conway 3

Top issues

Ranked by what Americans say matters most (Pew, 2026)

Congressman Bruce Westerman

No stated positions on file yet.

James "Rus" Russell, III

  • Cost of living & jobs
    Campaign site states he is "Committed to pushing for workers' rights," listing "Economic Fairness" among his core 2026 campaign issues. 4

No public stance found on: Health care costs, Guns, Crime & safety, Immigration, Climate & energy

More on their website →

How they voted on top issues

Congressman Bruce Westerman

  • Clean water and pipes that work → Federal money for water and stricter standards (10 of 10 votes) 5
  • A home you can afford → Government helping with housing costs (6 of 6 votes) 5
  • Elections that are easy to vote in and hard to cheat → Tighter voting rules (4 of 4 votes) 5

James "Rus" Russell, III

Nothing found for this candidate yet.

Who pays them

Congressman Bruce Westerman

Where the campaign money came from6

small donorslarge donorscompaniesindustry associationsmembership organizationsOther kinds of donors
small donors$38Klarge donors$826Kcompanies$566Kindustryassociations$337Kmembershiporganizations$50KOther kinds ofdonors$115K$2.0M raised
$38,0886Small individual donors
$825,8866Large individual donors

James "Rus" Russell, III

Where the campaign money came from7

small donorslarge donors
small donors$2Klarge donors$3K$6K raised
$1,7627Small individual donors
$2,5917Large individual donors

Checks

Congressman Bruce Westerman

Checks run: missed votes · stock trades

🚨 Stock trades on file: 98 since 2025. 8

James "Rus" Russell, III

No voting record to check yet

About red flags

These are Voter Choice's editorial choices, not a finding about any person. We flag: stock trading while in office, absences, money's influence in politics, and reported misuse of power or public funds. State and local items may come from local news, which can lean partisan. Take with a grain of salt. The judgment is yours.

Based on current data. May change in a future update.

Sources

  1. About | Congressman Bruce Westerman · checked 2026-10-15 used in: Experience
  2. WESTERMAN, Bruce | US House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives · checked 2026-10-15 used in: Experience
  3. James Russell Senate Campaign: About the Candidate · checked 2026-10-15 used in: Experience
  4. russellforar.com used in: Top issues
  5. Congress.gov roll-call votes · 2022-11-04 to 2026-11-04 used in: How they voted on top issues
  6. FEC · 2026 cycle used in: Money
  7. FEC · 2026 cycle used in: Money
  8. House and Senate periodic transaction reports · disclosed through 2025-04-28 used in: Checks