Boozman comments on potential Senate run; poll lead over Lincoln

He may not officially be in the race, but he sure talks like it.

U.S. Rep. John Boozman, R-Rogers, is expected to announce Saturday (Feb. 6) that he will enter the GOP primary for a chance to run against U.S. Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., in the general election.

He told The City Wire on Wednesday (Feb. 3) that a Senate candidate must constantly push a positive message and not become blinded by polls that suggest an easy win over Lincoln for the GOP candidate.

Public Policy Polling released survey results Feb. 2 which show Boozman holding a 56-33 margin over Lincoln. The survey also shows State Sen. Gilbert Baker, R-Conway, defeating Lincoln by a 50-35 margin.

“I’ve been around long enough, that you just work hard. What we’ll try to do is get our message out,” Boozman said when asked about protecting against a false sense of security from polls that consistently show Lincoln’s weak political position. “I think you just really concentrate on getting your message out. We’re going to have a very positive message.”

Although pleased with the PPP survey, Boozman said it more likely reflects Arkansans dissatisfaction with Washington than their approval or disapproval for specific candidates.

“The major thing it shows is that the people of Arkansas are very upset with the message that is coming out of Washington. … It is just so different than the core values of the people of Arkansas,” Boozman explained.

Boozman, however, can’t entirely distance himself from Washington politics. He’s serving his fifth term as Arkansas’ 3rd District and has been criticized by some in his own party for voting for the first round of bank bailouts.

Boozman said he thinks voters will see through attempts to label him as a Washington insider, noting that he has many years of experience as a small business owner in which he had to make payroll, pay for health care costs and manage people. He is confident Arkansans will see that experience as an asset. He also says he has stayed close to the people of the 3rd District.

“I’m home every weekend (from Washington). I’m out and about in the district as much as anybody,” Boozman said. “I don’t the facts speak that way (about him being part of the problem in Washington).”

He did acknowledge the potential difficulty in serving the 3rd District in Congress and running a statewide race for U.S. Senate.

“The focus is on representing the district … but if I do announce on Saturday that I will run for the Senate, then you’ll have all this other stuff going on.”