AR Congressional Races 2014

[RogueBeaver]

Darr will announce tonight, Westerman tomorrow.

[RogueBeaver]

Pryor's ducking his 2004 AWB vote, Cotton won't let him forget it.

[RogueBeaver]

Darr is in.

[RogueBeaver]

Medexpansion - i.e. the "private option" - is becoming an issue in the CD4 race. Darr opposes it but didn't go all out to prevent passage, Westerman helped draft the bill before switching and denouncing its proponents as Judases, with obligatory silver references. There apparently seems to be a major backlash developing from the Pub base, so Darr could use it as a way to wedge Westerman from the right. I still think Westerman has the edge for reasons mentioned earlier in the thread, but you never know. By criticizing both Westerman for his flip-flop and demonization of people who'd been working with him to that point... interesting tactical position for Darr. We'll see if it pays off.

Doubt private option plays that much in the Senate race except as part of the larger Obamacare debate. Cotton has more cover to blast it, especially with the moderate Crawford having done so publicly, but can't because his own political director John Burris was one of its architects. His standard response is to segue back to Obamacare.

[RogueBeaver]

Westerman's in.

[RogueBeaver]

Pryor wouldn't vote for an individual mandate delay.

[RogueBeaver]

Unsurprisingly, the Clintons will campaign for Pryor.

[RogueBeaver]

Boozman is hoping for a relatively clean race focused on issues. He'll get his wish on issues, definitely not on cleanliness.

[RogueBeaver]

Talk Business will be in the field next month, so we'll finally get some real numbers on the Senate race.

[RogueBeaver]

Some Dude entering the Pub CD4 primary.

Another incoherent Pryor interview, this time Politico. Says he disagrees with many of Obama's policies without naming any, again says Obamacare's awesome, says he's passed a lot of bills without naming any. Seems to think Cotton being unwilling to work with a POTUS despised in Arkansas is a bad thing. Also willfully ignorant or simply obtuse about the brand nuking.

[RogueBeaver]

Assuming that's for the 4th? Probably towards the bottom of what's now becoming a crowded field.

[RogueBeaver]

Darr has some campaign finance problems related to personal expenses, which have already claimed a Dem St. Sen. from Jonesboro. Darr went through personal bankruptcy last year, so there's a history of financial problems on his side.

Senate-wise, Cotton's next Pryority is 2A. Layup target.

[RogueBeaver]

Darr has dropped out and is seemingly out of politics for now.

[RogueBeaver]

I wonder what dirt they dug up on him, he must have woken up with a pretty big horse's head in his bed

Probably that financial problem uncovered by the Dem blogger Matt Campbell (Blue Hog Report), plus Darr's general lameness as a candidate for anything.

[RogueBeaver]

Darr admits that he wasn't up to it, also saying the ethics problem hurt his wife most of all. Doesn't know whether he'll be on a ballot next year.

[RogueBeaver]

More Moderate Heroism from Pryor.

[RogueBeaver]

Problem is that Pryor's whole career and political persona dating back to his salad days in the Leg revolve around Moderate Heroism. Which as you said, will end badly for Pryor.

[RogueBeaver]

Predictable difference between Pryor and Cotton on Syria.

[RogueBeaver]

Cotton has a joint op-ed in WaPo on Syria, he's obviously an aye vote. Hell, he wants airfields bombed as well.

[RogueBeaver]

Bubba will be out in force for Pryor. Though Pryor didn't show up to Bubba's LR speech on Obamacare today.

[RogueBeaver]

ROFL: Pryor didn't attend Bubba's Obamacare speech because "he didn't want to be too closely associated with it." So much for Obamacare being awesomely awesome, as Pryor says in his stump speech. Debates can't come soon enough.

[RogueBeaver]

Pryor opposes the Syria resolution.

[RogueBeaver]

Though I don't think FP will be a flashpoint in this race.

[RogueBeaver]

The TB poll should be in the field soon (early September was the word), so we'll get our first real numbers. I wouldn't expect anything too different from the party polls.

[RogueBeaver]

Cotton interview on Capitol View. Mostly about Syria, refuses to answer hypotheticals about a CR which partially funds Obamacare, plus some personal stuff thrown in at the end.