Erin Hunter Announces Candidacy for Prosecuting Attorney
Vows to Restore Integrity and Public Trust
[De Queen, AR] — Longtime prosecutor and City Attorney Erin Hunter announced her candidacy for Prosecuting Attorney in the 9th West Judicial District today, pledging to bring trust and integrity back to the office. A career prosecutor with deep roots in the community, Hunter emphasized her commitment to keeping families safe and restoring public confidence in the criminal justice system.
“Our communities deserve a prosecutor who is tough on crime and guided by a strong sense of justice,” said Hunter. “The current lack of trust in the Prosecuting Attorney’s office is not only unacceptable, it puts public safety at risk. Law enforcement must be able to rely on prosecutors to move cases forward and hold violent offenders accountable. It’s time to restore trust and integrity to the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.”
“There can be no favoritism and no conflicts of interest in a prosecutor’s office,” Hunter said. “Victims deserve to be heard. Law enforcement deserves strong, consistent legal support. And our families deserve to know that justice is being pursued for the right reasons, not for political gain.”
Hunter brings nearly fifteen years of prosecutorial experience. She currently serves as the elected City Attorney for De Queen and prosecutes felony cases as a deputy prosecuting attorney in the 18th Judicial District.
She began her career in 2011 handling sexual assault crimes across a four-county district and later served as Deputy Prosecutor for Sevier County. In 2021, then-Governor Asa Hutchinson appointed her as Prosecuting Attorney for the 9th West District to fill out two years of an unexpired term. She later served as Chief Deputy Prosecutor for the district before accepting her current role.
She is widely respected for her work prosecuting sexual assault, child abuse, and violent crime cases, and has earned multiple honors, including being named by Arkansas Money & Politics as a 2024 Power Woman as well as being voted Best Attorney in Sevier County by its citizens in 2021 and 2024.
Hunter grew up in Newhope, Arkansas and graduated from Dierks High School. Her father, Ronald “Red” Hunter is a retired chicken and hog farmer and her mother, Rhonda Hunter, is retired from a distinguished career at Weyerhaeuser. Growing up, her parents taught her the value of hard work, grit, and determination.
Hunter earned her undergraduate degree in political science from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville and later her Juris Doctor from the University of Arkansas School of Law.
She and her husband Stephen, a high school baseball coach and athletic director, are raising their two children in De Queen. The family is active in local school and sports communities and attends the Newhope Church of Christ.
The 9th West Judicial District covers all of Howard, Little River, Pike, and Sevier Counties. The non-partisan election for Prosecuting Attorney is scheduled for March 3, 2026.