Arkansas State Parks has produced a very active and effective twitter account to promote their services but today they are having to start again from scratch. Apparently, a staff member was making a change to their account – @ARStateParks – and accidentally delete it. And there is no undue for the mistake.
Anyway, let’s get them some new followers – @ARStatePark. After all – Aren’t you glad we’ve got ‘em?
Sen. John Thune from South Dakota was in Arkansas today lending a hand to Rep. John Boozman’s race to unseat Sen. Blanche Lincoln and also to help Jeremy Hutchinson’s race for the state senate.
Rep. Boozman told the press today that Sen. Thune “has really been one of the guys that I have looked up to over the years both in the House and now in the Senate.” He said that he was one of the first people he met when he was first elected to the Senate.
“There is nobody I would rather be helping then John Boozman,” said Thune. “I was good friends with Asa Hutchinson and when John succeeded him, I had the opportunity to work with him as a member of the House and look forward to working with him in the Senate…. He is someone that I think will be a great ally in what I think is a very important cause in the Senate and that is getting our country back on track, getting spending under control, dealing with this massive debt we are putting on the backs of our children and grandchildren, taking steps that will actually create jobs in our private economy.”
Thune said that for Boozman to defeat Lincoln he simply needs to “be himself” and work hard on connecting with voters across the state. “His best asset is himself and getting John out there is a very winning strategy,” said Thune.
Thune said he saw many parallels with 1994 and feels that there is a growing anti-incumbency feeling. “People are frustrated. They don’t think Washington is listening and they are concerned about the massive amount of spending and the dramatic growth in government,” said Thune. “I think this election is really going to be about the size of government.”
They both dismissed statements from Sen. Lincoln’s campaign and the DSCC that the two of them are “Washington’s most dangerous enemies to Social Security” as being classic Democratic scare tactics. “It’s a very predictable strategy,” said Thune. “Dust off the playbook when you are behind and roll out the usual ‘They are going to take away Social Security and Medicare’ attack against Republicans.”
As for questions as to whether Thune will run for President in 2012, he said that he was focusing on helping Republicans win during the 2010 elections but certainly left the door open.
“Right now my focus in on the mid-term elections and getting quality people like John Boozman elected,” said Thune. “The thing anybody can do – that might have aspirations beyond the 2010 elections – is doing everything that we can to restore some checks and balances in Washington. And the only way now that we are going to put some brakes on the runaway agenda that President Obama is carrying forward and his allies in Congress who support him is to elect more Senators like John Boozman. So I think that will be my focus up through the November elections.”
My column this week looks at the expiration of the tax cuts at the end of the year from my perspective as an accounting student nine years ago. My professor predict that the largest tax increase in history would take place on December 31, 2010. At that time, it seemed an impossible and forever away. But now it is almost here and seems uncomfortably possible.
No, it does not have anything to do with Arkansas politics. But a friend of mine sent this to me today and I thought it was funny enough to be “blogworthy.” Enjoy!
The Secretary of State sent out this list of write in candidates that filed by yesterday’s deadline. Elvis D. Presley of Star City has gotten all the attention in his campaign for governor. After all, he just wants to be your teddy bear.
But a “troublemaker” has also entered the race for U.S. Senate – that is Stephen “Troublemaker” Hercher of Barling.
Here is the full list…
Wayne Bowen is a friend of mine in Missouri and sends along this guest post with a look at the Missouri primary today. Bowen is the chair of the history department at Southeast Missouri State University.
Missouri has an intriguing primary today. In most cases, the outcome is a foregone conclusion, but the results will still be interesting. On the Democratic side, Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan faces token opposition in her run for the US Senate. The Carnahan name is legendary in Missouri politics; her brother is a Congressman, her father was governor and her mother was a US Senator. The GOP race, as with most contests in the state this time, has a bit more drama. The front-runner among nine candidates for the Republican US Senate nomination is 7th District Congressman Roy Blunt. A former House Minority Whip, Blunt is also the father of former Missouri Governor Matt Blunt. Among the minor GOP candidates, State Senator Chuck Purgason has made the most impact with a small but vocal following among a minority of Tea Party folks. Purgason is campaigning against Blunt as an outsider, using Blunt support for TARP and some earmarks. Arkansas has a connection to this race, as Blunt has been endorsed by Mike Huckabee. While in most years this would be an obvious move, one of the HuckPac Missouri organizers has blasted Huckabee and tried to organize a mini-revolt (emphasis on mini), claiming that Purgason is the real conservative in the race. There is pushback, however, since Blunt is the overwhelming favorite to win, is a proven fundraiser, and is a known and respected figure within the GOP. He has a ACU lifetime of 93%, so it is not as if he is a RINO, either. My prediction would be that Congressman Blunt will take 75% or more in the primary, even with the other candidates in the race. Purgason for sure will come in 2nd – how can he not with ‘Joe the Plumber’ on board? – but probably in the 15% range. Blunt certainly isn’t concerned about his primary opponents, as all of his fire is directed against Robin Carnahan. Congressman Blunt is a good speaker, can inspire the party faithful while also appealing to the center, and is so far slightly ahead of Carnahan in most of the polls. Missouri is so evenly matched – St. Louis and Kansas City vs. the rest of the state – that most of the high profile races end of within a few point margin. I suspect that in the general Blunt will win with something in the 55% range – a little higher than a typical victory here, but Obama is a lot more unpopular than in 2008, when McCain/Palin narrowly carried Missouri. Blunt is well-organized, has personally campaigned in every one of our 114 counties (plus the independent city of St. Louis), and is a fundraising machine. I’ve seen a few signs and flyers for Purgason, but his campaign doesn’t have a very professional image, and he has nowhere near the momentum or visibility of, for example, insurgent campaigns even at the level of Jim Holt — who, of course, was soundly trounced by a candidate with a voting record and demographic base nearly identical to Blunt’s.
Missouri will also vote on Proposition C, an initiative against the Obama health care law. Prop C, sponsored by the Republican state legislature, declares null and void the mandate to buy health insurance, and also eases some of the pending rules on insurance companies. The initiative seems likely to pass, as it is being promoted by the Republican Party and its candidates, and turnout should be much higher in the Republican primary. There has only been token opposition, other than some modest efforts by the Missouri Hospital Association, since the measure will have no force of law. As a statement of public opinion, however, Proposition C will provide some momentum for those calling for the repeal and replacement of the Democratic Party’s health care legislation. It is also proving helpful in Get Out The Vote efforts. With 61% of Missourians disapproving of Obama’s health care law, according to late July poll by the St. Louis Post Dispatch and KMOV poll, Prop C seems likely to pass handily.
The state also has primary contests for congressional, legislative and local races. In the 7th District GOP Primary to choose a replacement for Roy Blunt, Bill Long, an auctioneer and local celebrity, appears to have the slight edge in fundraising, endorsements (including Mike Huckabee), and campaign organization for this southwestern Missouri district. State Senators Jack Goodman and Gary Nodler, along with Iraq war veteran Jeff Wisdom, local prosecutor Darrell Moore, and a couple of minor candidates, are also campaigning hard. As with Arkansas’ 3rd District, winning the GOP primary here is, as they say, “tantamount to election.”
In the 8th Congressional District, Republican incumbent Jo Ann Emerson faces a primary opponent also endorsed by some Tea Party organizations. Bob Parker, a rancher and small businessman, is campaigning against Emerson in a manner similar to that of Chuck Purgason, and likely to the same effect. Emerson is very popular in the district, and has received over 85% in the Republican primaries where she has faced opposition. In the general election, Emerson will face Iraq war veteran Tommy Sowers, who has almost matched Emerson in fundraising – thanks to support from retired general Wesley Clark, among others. Sowers is an attractive candidates, but has run a lackluster campaign, with much of his campaign expenditures going toward staff. He has also attracted negative attention for his support from East and West Coast liberal groups, such as Moveon.org and Howard Dean, hardly a fit for this most rural and conservative district.
Republican votes will outnumber Democratic votes in the primary by a significant margin – perhaps 60-40. While the general election will likely be closer, momentum and interest does seem to be on the side of the GOP in Missouri this year, the most bellwether of the bellwether states. Barring dramatic improvements in President Obama’s popularity here – he’s at 34% according to the most recent poll- today’s primary could signal a disastrous November for the Democratic Party in Missouri.
There is not a lot happening yet on a July Monday morning but in meantime you can check out my column from this weekend looking at the Arkansas Senate race. Rep. John Boozman is in the lead in the polls and Sen. Blanche Lincoln has the clear advantage in cash.
Which is more important? With less than 100 days until the election, it depends on how she spends it. Full analysis over here.
I finally got a hold of Joy Ballard this morning who confirmed that she is seeking the Green Party nomination for Saline County Tax Collector but she continued to play her cards pretty close to the chest as how the process unfolded.
“Nothing is official until the Green Party meets on Saturday so I don’t want to say too much,” said Ballard. She said that she was “aware of the Green Party” and knew that her only options for running for tax collector were as their nominee or as a write-in candidate. She admitted that her primary motivation for running as the Green Party nominee was she that her name would be the only name to appear on the ballot.
Ballard said that the Green Party Saline County Committee has been formed and all the paperwork has been submitted for her to be their nominee but she avoided pointing me to a specific meeting or convention where this had taken place. She instead referred me to Mark Jenkins, spokesman for the state Green Party.
Jenkins told me that while it appears Ballard will be the nominee, this will not be official when until the delegates from Saline County meet at the Green Party nominating convention at noon on Saturday at Juanita’s in Little Rock. He stated that as he understood it someone else could challenge Ballard for the nomination but that the delegates for the convention have already been selected by the local county committee. For that information, he sent me to the Saline County Green Party Chairman, Greg Slocum of Paron.
Slocum informed me that the delegates for the Green Party State Convention had been elected and Ballard was nominated as Tax Collector at a meeting held last Saturday, July 17. Slocum said that the only two delegates were himself, who is seeking the nomination for State Senate District 18 and Joy Ballard’s husband Gary Ballard.
I asked Slocum if anyone else who was interested in participating in the nomination process still had time to do so but he said it is too late to be a delegate as the meeting had already taken place. I asked if there had been a public notice given of the nominating process and he said that he believed Jenkins had publicized it but was not sure where.
I followed back up with Jenkins who said that he “sent an email out internally” but he normally does not put out public notice for these types of meetings.
So it appears for now (as Whit Jones from InsideSaline.com declared this morning,) Joy Ballard has pulled off a “local political coup.” It will be an uphill battle for any of the write-in candidates to mount a successful challenge. One candidate – former Republican nominee for Saline County Sheriff James Ward – has already dropped out based on Ballard’s news. Unless one of the other five write-in candidates pulls it off, then the tax collector will be selected based on the nomination of two people – Ballard’s husband and Greg Slocum.
If you have not been following Saline County politics, the race for county tax collector has gotten interesting. The former Saline County Tax Collector Chris Villines resigned in April to take a position as the executive director of the Association of Arkansas Counties. However, since he announced after the filing period ending for the two major parties, they were not able to nominate a candidate since no one else had filed. Since that time at least five people have announced their intention to run as a write-in candidate including Dwight Fite, Doug Curtis, James Ward, Georgine McKim and Lisa Dodson. (update – and also Carl Frank.)
But now that the Green Party has been certified as a recognized party for the 2010 election cycle, a twist has been added. If the Green Party is able to field a candidate, it will be the only one on the ballot against a field of write-in candidates.
Several reliable in Saline County have reported that Joy Ballard, assistant to Republican County Judge Lanny Fite, has been making phone calls to gauge support if she decides to run as the Green Party nominee. The state Green Party will hold their nominating convention on Saturday, July 24 at 11:00 am at Juanita’s in Little Rock.
Ballard was unable to be reached for comment prior to posting.
UPDATE - Whit Jones with InsideSaline.com spoke with Ballard who confirmed that is running as a Green Party candidate. Read her interview here.
The Green Party of Arkansas is the only third party that qualified for ballot access for this year’s election cycle. They have announced that their convention will be held this Saturday in Little Rock at Juanita’s. The nominating convention will occur after their regular quarter business meeting at 11:00 am.
Greenland Mayor John Gray has announced that he will seek the Green Party nomination for U.S. Senate and Ken Alder has announced that he will seek their nomination for the First District Congressional race. No other announced candidates are posted on their website but speculation has been made whether one time Democratic candidate for State Auditor and former state representative Bobby Tullis may seek their nomination to challenge embattled State Treasurer Martha Shoffner.