Good News For Arkansas Democrats, Bad News For Arkansas Republicans

Today, former Congressman Mike Ross officially announced he’s seeking the Democratic nomination for Governor.  He’ll face former Lt. Governor Bill Halter in May of 2014.

This contested gubernatorial primary with two top-tier candidates is good news for Arkansas Democrats.

Let’s look at the big picture for the respective party primaries for Governor.

On the Democratic side, we have a former Congressman who served honorably for twelve years in Congress and ten years before that in the State Senate, never losing an election. He faces a former Lt. Governor who brought Arkansas the scholarship lottery which has helped thousands of people pay for college.

Both Democratic candidates have the ideas and energy to move our state forward.

On the Republican side, we have a political retread vs. an unknown businessman.

Asa Hutchinson is the likely nominee for the Republic Party. Asa! has previously run three times for statewide office, losing every time. For perspective on how Asa qualifies as a “retread”, the first time he ran, and lost, for statewide office Ronald Reagan was still President. Asa! did serve three terms in Congress until he joined the Bush administration in 2001.

Curtis Coleman is the unknown businessman running against Asa! Coleman ran for the U.S. Senate in 2010 and got a whopping 4.9% of the vote. For perspective, even I could run in a U.S. Senate Republican primary and probably get 4.9% of the vote since I have a common sounding name.

Coleman’s candidacy reminds me of that Saturday Night Live skit from the 90’s: “And you are…?”

Those are the candidates Republican primary voters have to choose from almost like cosmic runts of the litter.

Arkansas Republicans had significant electoral victories in the past two elections, so one would think Republicans would have better choices for Governor. They don’t.

The Democratic primary features two campaign battle-tested candidates, with both of their previous campaigns being very well organized. Both are disciplined and focused, and facing off against each other in a primary will make the eventual victor all the more stronger.

The Republican primary can be won by Asa by simply putting his name on the ballot and winning with superior name recognition against Coleman.

For literally the next 13 months, all of the attention is going to be on the Democratic gubernatorial primary. More good news for Arkansas Democrats.

The Democratic gubernatorial primary will eventually get heated, but, in the end, it strengthens Arkansas Democrats.