In Ross's wake
Fourth District Rep. Mike Ross told reporters Monday morning that he would not seek re-election for Congress in 2012. When asked who might succeed Ross, he said he knew of 10 or 12 likely candidates although he refused to name names. In that candidate vacuum, others stepped in to put forward their best guesses.
Some of the top names put forward by various sources:
Tom Cotton, a Republican from Dardanelle who decided against a 2010 Senate run against Blanche Lincoln, told Talk Business blogger Jason Tolbert he will run for Ross's vacant seat. Cotton, an Army reservist, works for an international consulting firm.
Beth Anne Rankin, who was defeated solidly by Ross in the last election, also says she is considering a run, as is Republican state Rep. Lane Jean of Magnolia.
On the Democratic side, it's a little less clear. A few names have surfaced: Sen. Gene Jeffress from Louann, Sen. Larry Teague of Nashville and Rep. Chris Thomason of Hope. Conner Eldridge, appointed as U.S. attorney for the western district of Arkansas in February, may also run. Texarkana prosecutor Carlton Jones has also been mentioned as a likely contender. Lt. Gov. Mark Darr said he will not run for Congress, after some speculation that he would attempt to unseat Ross in 2012.
Speaking of...
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UPDATE: Gun control group to spend $350,000 against Pryor
May 24, 2013Politico reports that the gun control group backed by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is following through with plans to buy TV time — $350,000 worth — criticizing U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor for helping defeat some modest gun measures recently, particularly universal background checks. /more/
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Riverfest Eve open line: Democrats rip Tim Griffin; Arkansas Tech joins no-gun list
May 23, 2013The line is open. Final words: * TIM 'TAR SANDS PIPELINE' GRIFFIN: It's no surprise that Republican Rep. Tiny Tim Griffin of Alberta, Canada, voted again last night to hurry up the Keystone XL pipeline. /more/
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Democrats go after Cotton for trying to criminalize family relationship
May 23, 2013The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is going after expected Republican Senate candidate Tom Cotton over his wacky idea to automatically punish relatives of people who violate sanctions on Iran. /more/
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Tom Cotton's attack on the Constitution
May 23, 2013Several people sent links this morning to yet another odd performance by U.S. Rep. Tom Cotton, already distinguished by his opposition to replenishing to country's disaster aid money unless it can be taken out of some other recipient's hide. /more/
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Will Tom Cotton help Oklahoma or hold it hostage to ideology?
May 21, 2013Here's a list of the Republicans who voted against disaster aid for areas hit by Hurricane Sandy. /more/
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James Lee Witt endorses Mike Ross for governor
May 16, 2013Does the endorsement of James Lee Witt, Bill Clinton's FEMA director, now a bigtime lobbyist/consultant, help Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mike Ross? /more/
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Morning report: Leaks, guns and welfare kings
May 14, 2013The morning roundup: * WHEN WILL REP. TOM COTTON PRAISE OBAMA'S JUSTICE DEPARTMENT? Republican mouthpieces are howling about the news that AP reporters' phone records were gathered by the Justice Department in an apparent investigation of leaks about a Yemen-based terrorist plot to bomb an airliner. /more/
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Tuesday topics
May 7, 2013The line is open. Final words: * THE RELIGIOUS RIGHT HAS DESIGNS ON ARKANSAS: Church and State magazine reports on plans by the American Renewal Project, a Religious Right organization, to politically target 12 states including Arkansas in 2014 to "restore America to its Judeo-Christian heritage." /more/
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A.M. Report: A confederacy of stooges and a money quest
May 7, 2013Some other odds and ends that floated in overnight: * JOHN BOOZMAN, STOOGE OF THE NIGHT: I can't find a clip yet, but multiple readers report that U.S. Sen. John Boozman joined Sen. Mark Pryor in David Letterman's pantheon of "stooges of the night" for his vote against broadening background checks for gun purchasers. /more/
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Who wants to be a U.S. senator?
May 4, 2013The New York Times reports this morning on the wave of retirements from the U.S. Senate and a lack of clamor from people anxious to join the filibuster-frozen body. /more/
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Latest in The Insider
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All in the family
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'Circuit breaker' legal
When we first asked Gov. Mike Beebe about the "circuit breaker" idea out of Arizona (automatically opting out of Medicaid expansion if the feds reduce the matching rates in the future), he said it was fine but noted that states can already opt out at any time, an assurance he got in writing from the feds.
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Church goes to school in Conway
An interesting controversy is brewing in Conway Public Schools, periodically a scene of discord as more liberal constituents object to the heavy dose of religion that powerful local churches have tried to inject into the schools, particularly in sex education short on science and long on abstinence.
- Jan 23, 2013
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Event Calendar
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Re: Sister who opposed Faubus dies
This week's Tin Can Alley (2nd file, you'll want to start at around the 6:15…
- on May 25, 2013
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Re: Best of Arkansas 2012
Where is the 2013 Ballot???
- on May 24, 2013
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Re: Sister who opposed Faubus dies
What Orval Faubus did in 1957 was not a governor gone all mavericky. He was…
- on May 24, 2013
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