The Arkansas Democratic Party thinks undercover political operatives have targeted Mark Pryor’s Senate campaign for mischief, beyond the usual “trackers” who follow candidates (on both sides) to record every public utterance.

Paranoia? Or probable cause?

Advertisement

I can’t say. The one phone number left by one of the suspects went unanswered. So I put out a call here for crowd-sourcing to find them. This may all be just an honest misunderstanding among friends.

The young fellow shown in the photo above is Christian Hartsock (to the left of Darth Vader). Who is Christian Hartsock? Well, his on-line resume identifies him as a collaborator with provocateur James O’Keefe, whose undercover video (deeply flawed) brought down Acorn and, in another case, brought O’Keefe a federal conviction in an attempted sting on Sen. Mary Landrieu.

Democrats in Arkansas say a man who looks just like Hartsock has been popping up at Pryor events. He identifies himself as Lee Howard and describes himself as a would-be financial contributor who wants a commitment from Sen. Pryor on “marriage equality.” Pryor, who’s repeatedly said he believes marriage is between a man and a woman, isn’t likely to fall into that trap himself. The man has provided a phone number. I called, but got no answer. I left a message.

Then there’s the fellow below, who’s turned up at various Pryor events and given staffers names, including Garrett, Ryan Johnson and Erick Yates. Confronted by a Pryor staffer on one occasion, he wrote down a phone number and name. The phone number — in Washington — didn’t work. He might be driving a Chrysler Town and County. He looks an awful lot like another O’Keefe cohort, Ryan Sorba, featured in this story.

Advertisement

Seen these fellows around? Tell them we’re trying to get in touch.

50 years of fearless reporting and still going strong

Be a part of something bigger and join the fight for truth by subscribing or donating to the Arkansas Times. For 50 years, our progressive, alternative newspaper in Little Rock has been tackling powerful forces through our tough, determined, and feisty journalism. With over 63,000 Facebook followers, 58,000 Twitter followers, 35,000 Arkansas blog followers, and 70,000 email subscribers, it's clear that our readers value our commitment to great journalism. But we need your help to do even more. By subscribing or donating – as little as $1 –, you'll not only have access to all of our articles, but you'll also be supporting our efforts to hire more writers and expand our coverage. Take a stand with the Arkansas Times and make a difference with your subscription or donation today.

Previous article Bloomberg: Walmart PR man David Tovar departed over inaccurate resume Next article Activists for disability rights win support from Ross; Hutchinson on the fence