Reed considers Republican primary race for U.S. Senate

A big name has entered the long list of Republicans hoping to unseat U.S. Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark.

Stanley Reed, the former president of the Arkansas Farm Bureau and former board chairman of the University of Arkansas System, confirmed he has met with campaign consultants and potential advisors, according to this report from our content partner at TalkBusiness.net.

Stanley Reed said he is strongly considering launching a U.S. Senate candidacy as a Republican, after months of watching Lincoln being “pulled down by the Democratic agenda.”

His decision to weigh a potential candidacy comes less than a year after he tamped down public speculation that he would run for the U.S. Senate.

He has received a lot of encouragement from friends who want him to run.

But his most enthusiastic backer may be Jim Lindsey, the Northwest Arkansas real estate magnate, who Reed acknowledged would serve as his finance chairman should he decide to form a campaign. 


Reed said he has become increasingly troubled by Sen. Lincoln’s “waffling” on card check, cap-and-trade and, now, health care. Her mishandling of those issues, along with a failing economy and a weak dollar, he said, necessitates “a change of direction.”



Up until recently Reed has counted himself among some of Lincoln’s most enthusiastic supporters. He acknowledged that Lincoln, who only recently became chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee, has been an unyielding advocate for Arkansas farmers.

But he also pointed out during the interview that any decision about running will be based on much more than just agriculture policy.



Reed said he expects to make a final decision in about a month.