Griffin, Rule Exchange Grievances In Second District Debate

Second District Congressman Tim Griffin (R) and his Democratic opponent, Herb Rule, mixed it up in Conway on Tuesday (Oct. 23) with two other third party candidates in an AETN televised debate.

Griffin criticized Rule’s response to a run-in with law enforcement from an Aug. 27 arrest for suspicion of DUI. Rule attacked Griffin, calling him “a captive” of big corporations, big oil and the Republican machine.

Rob Moritz with our content partner, the Arkansas News Bureau, reports:

Griffin, in response to a question from a panel of journalists, said Rule was disrespectful to Fayetteville police when he was pulled over on Aug. 27 and arrested for suspicion of DWI.

In video taken from a camera in the police cruiser, Rule is heard asking the officer: “Is this the best thing you all have got to do tonight?”

“You don’t talk to law enforcement that way,” Griffin said. “Its inappropriate. It’s disrespectful. If you took that attitude to Washington you’re not going to get anything done.”

Rule said his court date in Fayetteville is Nov. 28, and he maintained his innocence.

“I respect the law but I also respect the court as the place to work out and decide what happened at the time of that arrest and whether the arrest was with probable cause and reasonable cause,” said Rule, who is an attorney. “I wasn’t drunk and I was not guilty.”

According to the latest Talk Business-Hendrix College Poll, Griffin held a strong lead over his opponents, who also include Libertarian candidate Chris Hayes and Green Party nominee Barbara Ward.

In September, the poll of 536 likely voters found Griffin with a twenty-point lead:

Q. In the race for U.S. Congress, the candidates are Republican Tim Griffin, Democrat Herb Rule, Libertarian Chris Hayes, and Green Party Candidate Barbara Ward.  For whom do you plan to vote for this November?

49%        Tim Griffin
28.5%     Herb Rule
3%          Chris Hayes
4%          Barbara Ward
15.5%     Undecided

You can read more from Moritz’s report on the debates at this link.