Seven Candidates to Square Off in GOP Senate Primary

Though the Republican party failed to field a candidate to challenge Mark Pryor in 2008, seven will battle this spring for the Grand Old Party's nomination to run for the seat currently held by Blanche Lincoln.

Colonel Conrad Reynolds has informed his supporters via email he intends to file on Monday at 11:00 AM. Reynolds is running for the GOP nomination for US Senate to replace Democrat Blanche Lincoln in November. He announced his candidacy on July 20 of last year, before it was obvious Lincoln was in trouble. Since he entered the race, the field of GOP candidates has become extremely crowded.

Four have filed for the seat already, including Curtis Coleman, Fred Ramey, State Senator Kim Hendren, and Congressman John Boozman. Two others, Randy Alexander and State Senator Gilbert Baker, will also file on Monday according to The Tolbert Report.

At one point there were 9 announced candidates running for the Republican nomination. But last month Tom Cox, North Little Rock businessman and co-founder of Arkansas Tea Party, Inc., announced he was withdrawing from the race. Just this week, Buddy Rogers let us know he too had stepped out of the crowded field.

For months polls have shown Lincoln will struggle against whoever wins the GOP nomination, but this week the Senator learned she will also have to win a tough primary battle that will be decided in May. Lieutenant Governor Bill Halter, who's backed by radical leftists in the Democrat party, came out with guns blazing against Lincoln on Monday. And in less than a week, his campaign has received promises of millions in contributions from left-wing organizations like Moveon.org, ActBlue, and the AFL-CIO.