After Shot From The Left, Sen. Pryor Gets Swipe From The Right (UPDATED)

The 2014 U.S. Senate race may already be in full swing, and incumbent Democratic Sen. Mark Pryor doesn’t even have a formal opponent yet.

Last week, an independent expenditure group known as “Mayors Against Illegal Guns” pledged more than $350,000 in TV and cable advertising to complain about Pryor’s vote against the Manchin-Toomey gun background check bill.

Pryor voted for the Grassley amendment, an alternative to Manchin-Toomey.

On Wednesday (May 29), another independent expenditure group, Senate Conservatives Action (SCA), launched a new 30-second television commercial claiming Pryor has a liberal voting record.

The TV spot, “Better,” will run in the Little Rock and Ft. Smith media markets. It is the first of three TV ads that will run over the next three weeks, the group said. The total media buy is for 2,000 gross rating points and costs approximately $320,000.

The ad features several Tea Party conservatives including David Crow, Janet Crow, Nic Horton, and Glen Gallas.

Some of the lines include:

“Pryor votes like a liberal.”

“He voted with Obama 95% of the time.”

“Senator Pryor’s changed somehow when he went to Washington.”

“I’ll take Arkansas values over Washington values, any day.”

You can view the ad below.

Also, Politico features a story today on three incumbent Southern Democrats, including Pryor.

One of the issues explored involves Pryor’s support among the African-American community and how sensitive votes and distancing from President Obama have strained relationships among Pryor, a Democrat, and a traditional Democratic constituency.

From Politico:

The failure to be vocally supportive of the first African-American president and his agenda on everything from immigration to guns already appears to be dampening enthusiasm among some African-Americans. Fourteen percent of registered Arkansas voters are black.

“There are many African-Americans who are quite bothered by some of the votes that Sen. Pryor has taken,” said Joyce Elliott, vice chairwoman of the Arkansas Democratic Party and the former state Senate majority leader. “I’ve had lots of conversations with African-Americans who just don’t want to even talk about it, who say, ‘Maybe I just won’t vote.’”

You can read the full story at this link.