A group that opposes the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) has launched a new ad promoting the candidacy of Sen. Blanche Lincoln.

The Coalition for Arkansas Jobs (CAJ) is running a new statewide ad that applauds Lincoln's opposition to EFCA, also known as card check, and compliments her for standing up to special interests.  The ad says that groups are  "punishing" Lincoln for her position, although she was a one-time sponsor of a similar measure.

"Blanche Lincoln never quits fighting for jobs," the ad concludes.

EFCA is a wedge-issue in this campaign. It has been a rallying cry for Lincoln to shore up business support and it has been a continuous focal point of controversy for her primary opponent, Bill Halter.

Although Halter is not mentioned in the ad, CAJ has been highly critical of his evasiveness on the card check issue.  However, Halter has benefited him to the tune of millions of dollars of advertising from labor unions that support EFCA thanks to, or despite, his nuanced answer on the subject.

That advertising - anywhere from $5 million to $10 million from a variety of union-financed groups - has pummeled Lincoln on the airwaves.

Since he first entered the race, Halter avoiding stating an up-or-down position on the issue, instead outlining principles that he advocates related to EFCA.

Halter claims the issue is dead, but the national leader of the AFL-CIO has said the issue remains very much alive and will be promoted in the current session of Congress.

Lincoln used Halter's evasiveness on EFCA as a reason to not debate him in the run-off election.

It begs the question as to why Halter refuses to answer the EFCA issue with greater clarity.  He has offered firm positions on other potential votes past and present, such as NAFTA, CAFTA and the health care public option.

In a recent Talk Business interview, Halter was asked why he continues to avoid giving a direct answer on the issue.

Roby Brock: The Employee Free Choice Act keeps coming up as a campaign question.  I'm not going to ask you for your position on it today because you're quite clearly not going to give it to me.  But why not answer that question straight up-and-down?

Bill Halter:  So here's why.  I've given people - and I'll give you today - the principles that I do support.  I want to maintain a secret ballot.  I want these elections to be democratic.  I actually want them sped up because I think the delay process actually hurts the process and gives more opportunity for coercion.  I want to increase penalties on either side if there is coercion of workers.

But what has happened as I've talked to labor leaders, business leaders, this issue - the card check part - it's done.  It is not coming back.  No less of an authority on this than the head of the Arkansas AFL-CIO has said so repeatedly.

I believe that it is part of an effort to distract away from the major issues in this race.