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.

GOP Senate Candidates Stand Up for 2nd Amendment

Last Saturday, several of the GOP candidates seeking the nomination for US Senate addressed the 2nd Amendment Rally held at Barton Coliseum.

LCRC January Meeting Report

On Monday January 11, the Lonoke County Republican Committee held its first monthly meeting of the new year. Those in attendance had the pleasure of hearing from several elected officials, including State Rep. Davy Carter, and two of the nine Republican candidates for US Senator, State Senators Kim Hendren and Gilbert Baker.

Several local issues were discussed by local officials present. District 12 Justice of the Peace Henry Lang discussed the "double dipping" that recently hit the news by two county officials, a recent audit report showing a county office lost $67, 000, and a deal to be discussed at the next Quorum Court meeting to purchase property from sitting District 3 JP Larry Odom. The potential land deal seemed shady to several members of the committee and will be addressed in a future article announcing the Quorum Court meeting.

District 13 JP Mark Edwards informed the committee the contract for a new county jail had been awarded to a local contractor, GAG Builders of Cabot. Oak Grove Township Constable Vince Scarlata reported that crime was down across Lonoke County last year and, for the first time he could remember, no arrests for DWI were made on New Year's Eve.

District 48 State Representative Davy Carter reported on the upcoming legislative session. He promised that, because Arkansas voters approved this as a budget session, he would vote against any non-budget resolutions that are brought to the floor. Carter stated it may appear that he's voting against some good bills, but worries that bringing non-budgetary bills to the floor will "open a can of worms" that voters in Arkansas did not approve when they voted to hold annual legislative sessions. Carter also informed the committee the Blue Ribbon Highway Commission will be seeking tax increases that he will not support.

Committee members had the privilege of hearing two of the nine announced Republican candidates for Arkansas' US Senate seat this year, State Senators Kim Hendren and Gilbert Baker.

Senator Hendren spoke first, describing his political career and why he believes he'll make the best US Senator of the announced candidates. He first remarked that he is not a skilled politician. Hendren credited this for his off-the-cuff remarks that sometimes cause him grief. He promised he would serve no more than two terms if elected and said "If you don't take care of business you ought to be fired." Hendren said he's always been conservative, and would carry the conservative colors to Washington.

Baker spoke next, promising to stand against the liberal agenda currently pressed in DC and stressing that he could raise the money to mount a successful campaign against Democrat Senator Blanche Lincoln this fall. He promised to stand against Card Check, Cap & Trade, and the health care bill. Without mentioning any names, Baker insinuated he is the best candidate because Jim Holt ran against Lincoln in 2004 and lost. He slipped in the fact that his campaign has raised $800,000 to promote himself as the most electable of the 9 candidates.

The Lonoke County Election Commission is looking for a place to set up about six machines to accommodate early voting in the county. Apparently, the City of Cabot is unwilling to provide city facilities for this purpose.

2010 Republican Senate Race Heats Up in Arkansas

Big things are happening in the Republican race for US Senate in Arkansas. Blanche Lincoln's poll numbers are falling like a rock and even the liberal blog DailyKos is now calling on her to resign. According to The Tolbert Report though, Lincoln's organization doesn't seem to be making preparations to throw in the towel. Instead it appears to be digging in for what promises to be a difficult campaign.

Here's a rundown on the GOP field as it currently stands.

Jim Holt

The already crowded field will take one more player next week when Jim Holt formally announces his candidacy. From Arkansas Watch

Former State Senator Jim Holt, who led the GOP ticket in the 2006 statewide elections, will announce his candidacy in the 2010 U.S. Senate race at a series of events to be held January 14th.

Holt took 44% of the vote in his 2004 loss to Sen. Blanche Lincoln the last time she ran for re-election. Some are tagging him the best chance to beat Lincoln after her vote for Harry Reid's health care bill last month. That vote, combined with the general hostility to the Democrat Party, has many predicting Holt can fare much better in November than he did six years ago

Gilbert Baker

Holt's announcement may cause some Republicans in the state to rethink their positions. Many, like Bill Vickery, have been calling for other candidates to clear out and permit State Senator Gilbert Baker to preserve his cash and energy for a general election slug fest with Senator Lincoln. Vickery says "If the Republican Party doesn't clear the field and make Gilbert Baker the lone nominee, then we are foolish."

Most consider Baker the favorite in the race for now though. After his first place finish in the Republican Party of Arkansas' straw poll last month, and his double-digit lead over Lincoln in the latest Rasmussen poll, Vickery's not the only one who's tagging Baker the man to beat in this race.

Curtis Coleman

Though Vickery and others have placed their bets on Baker, central Arkansas businessman Curtis Coleman isn't showing any signs of throwing in the towel. Coleman remains active on social networking sites and continues to travel the state meeting voters. He continues to hammer away at Lincoln and tackle issues on his blog and has recently added several new members to his campaign team.

Recently, Coleman announced the appointment of Matt Lagrone as his campaign’s statewide Political Director. “I am delighted to have Matt help direct our statewide grassroots efforts. He is an experienced political professional and committed conservative who wants to change the way things are done in Washington,” Coleman said. And today announced the addition of Mike Hudome as media consultant for the campaign.

Colonel Conrad Reynolds

Last month the campaign started with a flurry of press releases demanding Lincoln address several issues, including insulting comments by high ranking Democrats in Arkansas and union attack ads against Gilbert Baker which included the publicizing of his home phone number. Reynolds' campaign demanded Lincoln abandon the secret negotiations to honor President Obama's previous calls for transparency in the health care debate.

Then the campaign went almost silent the latter half of the month after his campaign manager, K. Ryan James, announced he was stepping down to pursue other interests. We'd seen little activity in the news and on social networking sites where Reynolds had been active.

But the Colonel informs us he simply took a little time off and has no intention of bowing out of the race. He assures us he has a busy January planned, including Joe the Plumber coming in later this month to campaign for him. Reynolds also says, "You will notice a slight shift in priorities over the next few weeks -- a strategy that I believe will win me the primary."

Fred Ramey

Fred Ramey continues to travel the state and says "We are finding that a blue-collar conservative candidate with a sincere desire to make a difference for all Arkansans is exactly what many people want." Ramey remains convinced his blue-collar background and farming experience can beat Blanche Lincoln in the general election.

He admits he had hoped the candidate field would have narrowed by now, but says the campaign is making inroads. Not that he thinks the competition is a bad thing. In fact, he reiterates his committment to running a positive campaign and states that if the other candidates do likewise "this will strengthen the party’s hand now and in the future."

Kim Hendren

Kim Hendren points to his lead over Lincoln in the latest Rasmussen poll and claims others show him leading the GOP primary. His committment to the race was recently demonstrated when he pumped $200,000 of his own money into the campaign. Pointing to the fact that some of the money his competition has raised cannot be used in the primary, Hendren says his campaign cash gives him the advantage.

Hendren states he's developing a solid volunteer organization across the state, and says he's "especially honored to have state party vice-chairman Duane Neal serving as one of my key supporters and advisers."

He also tells us the campaign will soon announce upcoming fundraisers in Central Arkansas on February 4 and Northwest Arkansas on February 6.

Buddy Rogers

Buddy Rogers tells us he has no plans of throwing in the towel either. He's continuing to travel the state with upcoming events scheduled across the state. Rogers says his varied background in business, health care, and the military is resonating with voters. He says he's "gratified by increased name recognition and support as I travel the state."

Tom Cox

We were unable to contact Tom Cox for this article, but will include an update on his campaign as soon as it's available.

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RPA Winter Republican Leadership Summit

The Republican Party of Arkansas has announced its Winter Republican Leadership Summit will be held December 5th at the Arlington Hotel in Hot Springs. The all day events will include the state committee meeting and grassroots training sessions, but the main event is likely to be the Iowa-style Straw Poll for the Party's candidates to replace US Senator Blanche Lincoln in 2010.

Tickets to the event are $15 per person, but will only be sold in blocks of 10. Anyone can purchase a ticket to attend the events at the summit, but only guests with a current Arkansas driver’s license, a current Arkansas College/University ID, or a current voter registration card, and must be at least 18 years old by November 3rd 2010 will be allowed to vote in the straw poll.

Curtis Coleman is actively seeking your vote in the Straw Poll via Facebook. If you can be a delegate or a delegate captain for Coleman, he asks that you please contact Brandon Scaife at BRANDON.SCAIFE@CURTISCOLEMAN.COM as soon as possible.

Arkansas State Senator Gilbert Baker posted a request for support in the Straw Poll on his Facebook wall and Fred Ramey informed us via Facebook he will also be participating.

Colonel Conrad Reynolds is encouraging his Republican supporters to turn out also. “I look forward to seeing all Republican Senate candidates in Hot Springs and the opportunity to speak to thousands of Arkansans about how we can restore our voice in Washington,” said Reynolds in a September 29 press release.

State Senator Kim Hendren is looking forward to the straw poll as well. "I would like to join the other candidates in asking for folks' to turn out and cast their vote. It should be a good learning experience for all of us," he said in response to our query via his website.

Buddy Rogers told us, "I am participating in the December 5 straw poll to be held in Hot Springs. I encourage my supporters to attend. I will not be buying more than the required number of tickets the event because I can better judge my actual support relying on those supporters who are willing to buy their own tickets from their county committees rather than manufacturing 'support' by buying it. Although I don't expect to win the straw poll, a strong showing will be immensely encouraging."

When asked if he'll be participating, founder of Arkansas Tea Party, Inc. Tom Cox said "Yes. We're looking forward to it." Cox also announced he'll be happy to provide tickets for his supporters who contact his campaign and request them.

With a crowded field of 7 announced Republican candidates already in the race, this a great opportunity to get a feel for where each stands and make your voice heard on who will be the Republican nominee to face Blanche Lincoln in 2010.

Since tickets will only be sold in blocks of 10, please complete the form below if you're interested in attending. We'll contact you to collect for your tickets once we have a group of 10 who desire to attend. We'll then make arrangements to collect payment for your tickets, we'll purchase the tickets, then get them delivered to you. Since tickets are only sold in blocks of 10, we'll need to collect payment in advance and assign groups on a first come, first served basis.

LCRC has not endorsed a candidate in the 2010 race for US Senate and purchasing your ticket through LCRC in no way obligates you to vote for a particular candidate, or in a bloc with others in your group. We are providing this service as a means to make it easier for you to participate in the conference and straw poll, not to solicit support for any particular candidate.