The Tolbert Report

Following a series of surprise announcements from Rep. Vic Snyder and Rep. Marion Berry that they will not run for re-election and from Rep. John Boozman that he likely will run for the Senate, the rumor mill has gone into high gear. The primary one that most of them swirl is the Sen. Lincoln will not run for re-election. They vary to some degree but most of them involve pressure from some groups inside the beltway, offers for a position inside the Obama Administration, and some variation of Bill Halter, Wesley Clark, and/or Mike Ross running for the open seat. The rumors were discussed by on the Arkansas Blog, the Political Buzz, and even the national conservative blog RedState. Like most rumors, I discount them until I hear it repeated from multiple places, then I finally just go ask the person the rumors involve.

Katie Laning Niebaum, spokesman for Lincoln for Senate, said about the rumors that there is “no truth to it at all.” She pointed me toward Sen. Lincoln’s activities of actively raising funds, hiring staff, and opening a campaign office as proof that there is nothing there but smoke.

This is exactly the point I made Friday when I was on KARN with Dave Elswick and was asked about the rumor. I have trouble seeing an incumbent Senator dropping out with several million dollars in the campaign war chest. Of course, I would have said the same about Rep. Snyder and Rep. Berry a couple weeks ago so what do I know.

Regardless, a couple of interesting emails promise a major campaign announcement tomorrow morning on twitter. Also, she encourages her supporters to get plugged in to her social media network on Facebook and Twitter, which inspire Rutherford to post that he is unimpressed. Her campaign manager also seems to channel the spirit of Massachusetts Republican Sen. Scott Brown this morning when he points out that when she first ran “all she had was a pick-up truck, some yard signs and flyers.”

Tags: 2010 Candidates