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LITTLE ROCK—An outspoken appeals court judge looked to Tuesday’s voting for a victory at the polls that has eluded him since he began a public fight with a state ethics panel over his right to talk about political issues.

Appeals Court Judge Wendell Griffen, who has lost two races for the Supreme Court since 2004, faced a challenge from Circuit Judge Rita Gruber in Tuesday’s non-partisan judicial race. The judge’s re-election bid in central Arkansas and an Appeals Court race featuring two politically connected lawyers in northwest Arkansas highlighted an election devoid of any statewide or congressional campaigns.

A handful of hotly contested legislative races also appear on Tuesday’s ballot.

Griffen, who spent Monday campaigning at intersections and neighborhoods in the district, said he would be satisfied with even a close win in Tuesday’s race.

“You know what they call a victory by one run? They call it a win,” Griffen said. “Whether it’s a win by one run or 1,000, we’re aiming for a win and we feel good about what we’ve been doing.”

Gruber, 57, a circuit judge for Perry and Pulaski counties, said she’d entered the race expecting a tight contest with Griffen.

“I feel like I’ve done everything I can and now it’s in the hands of the voters,” Gruber said.

Griffen, 55, joined the court in 1996 after being appointed by then-Gov. Jim Guy Tucker, then won re-election without opposition in 2000. In 2004, he lost a race for the state Supreme Court against Chief Justice Jim Hannah and lost a 2006 race against Paul Danielson in a race for associate justice on the state’s highest court.

In both Supreme Court races, Griffen failed to carry any of the counties that make up District 6: Perry, Pulaski and Saline.

Both Hannah and Danielson were unopposed this year.

Unlike in his previous races for the Supreme Court, Griffen is not focusing on his battles with the Arkansas Judicial Discipline and Disability Commission over his public remarks. The panel last year dropped its complaint against the longtime Appeals Court judge.

The case was brought over remarks Griffen made in 2005 and 2006. Issues Griffen spoke out on included the Bush administration’s handling of Hurricane Katrina’s aftermath, the minimum wage, the war in Iraq, and critics of immigrants and gays and lesbians.

Shortly after the commission hired a new director, David Stewart, the relationship between the judge and the commission began to warm up. Two days before the panel dropped its charges against Griffen, Stewart said he believed the case had helped to clarify judges’ free-speech rights.

Attorneys Courtney Henry of Fayetteville and Ron Williams of Springdale are running in District 3 for a spot being vacated by Judge Sarah Hefley, who was appointed to the court following the death of Judge Terry Crabtree. The district consists of Benton, Carroll, Crawford, Franklin, Johnson, Madison and Washington counties.

Henry has touted the endorsements she’s received from former Democratic Sen. David Pryor and former Republican congressman John Paul Hammerschmidt as an indication of the bipartisan support she’s received for the Appeals Court post.

Williams, the father-in-law of former Republican state Rep. Timothy Hutchinson, has also touted the support of former Republican congressman Asa Hutchinson, Timothy’s uncle. Williams’ campaign consultants include Jim Holt, a former Republican state senator who has campaigned against gay marriage and for greater state restrictions on illegal immigrants.

Jefferson County District Judge Waymond Brown is running against Pine Bluff attorney Eugene Hunt in District 7, which consists of Arkansas, Chicot, Desha, Jefferson, Lee, Phillips and St. Francis counties.

Of the 118 legislative seats up this year, 78 are uncontested, which may dampen enthusiasm and turnout for Tuesday’s election. Also, none of Arkansas’ four sitting congressmen drew a major party opponent when the filing period closed in March.

Secretary of State Charlie Daniels has predicted 19 percent or 20 percent of the state’s roughly 1.6 million voters will turn out for Tuesday’s races. The state’s presidential primary, which was held Feb. 5, had a 35 percent voter turnout.

The most high-profile legislative race is Sen. Irma Hunter Brown’s re-election bid against former Rep. Joyce Elliott in the Democratic race for District 33 in Little Rock. The winner of the race doesn’t face a Republican opponent in the fall.