Primaries Hold No Surprises (Commentary)

Analyzing results of the May 21 primary elections is fairly simple because surprises were few.

In the cases of Gov. Mike Huckabee and U.S. Sen. Tim Hutchinson, they did what they had to do: win big. Doubts about Hutchinson’s support among Republicans were erased.

Ron Sheffield’s dominance in the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor with 77 percent of the vote was the biggest surprise. While that used to mean automatic victory for the office, instead he will be a longshot against the name recognition and financial resources of Lt. Gov. Win Rockefeller.

State Treasurer Jimmie Lou Fisher and the Democratic Party probably were pleased with her 63 percent showing in the gubernatorial primary, but I thought it was weak. She’s been on Arkansas ballots for two decades and built high name recognition; her opponents had little. The limited amount of advertising in this race obviously had some impact.

Former U.S. Rep. Jay Dickey had an easy time securing the GOP nomination in the 4th Congressional District. You can bet he will use his dominance to convince the national GOP that he’s a stronger-than-expected contender to win back that seat held by U.S. Rep. Mike Ross. My guess is that he gets passed over. But get this: Dickey got more Republican votes in Garland and Jefferson counties than Hutchinson did.

U.S. Rep. Vic Snyder easily won a third term in the 2nd Congressional District with 72 percent of the vote. Observers wondered if he would be weak outside Pulaski County. He still beat Jim Baker of Conway 62 percent to 38 percent if you pull out the Pulaski County totals and lost just one county barely — Baker’s home turf of Faulkner County. The defeat of state Sen. John Riggs, D-Little Rock, by former Rep. Irma Hunter Brown wasn’t a total surprise considering the minority makeup of the district, but it will have an impact on leadership of the Arkansas Senate. Riggs became a major player in the last session, so his absence will open up opportunity for others. He’s also been traveling the state promoting education reform and will have to settle for a different citizen role in those efforts.

We received a taste of what to expect in the Hutchinson battle with Attorney General Mark Pryor for the U.S. Senate seat. With national funding resources already flowing in, both went negative in the days leading up to the primary — an unprecedented move in Arkansas. Those television ads continued in the days after the election, and there is every reason to believe we will only see far more between now and the November general election.

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After enduring a decade of elections as a Pulaski County resident, I’m ready to agree with Huckabee that we can’t run them properly.

But it’s not because we’re a banana republic; we just have a bunch of people involved with the election process in the state’s largest county who are incompetent individuals. Civil rights attorney John Walker of Little Rock, who was on the ballot for a state representative seat, can and will have a field day in the courts challenging the May 21 primary election.

It’s not like there haven’t been a dozen wakeup calls regarding problems. Major gaffes have become the rule in Pulaski County, and we can only thank the Lord that it was Florida and not Arkansas that presented the nation with a constitutional crisis in the 2000 presidential election.

Responsibility falls squarely with two entities: County Clerk Carolyn Staley and the Pulaski County Election Commission. What are our options, especially considering Staley was just re-elected yet again?

It’s time for County Judge Buddy Villines and Secretary of State Sharon Priest to step up and aggressively explore their options.