Anti-Cotton Web Site A Sign Of More To Come

A day before he enters the U.S. Senate race, state Democrats launched a web site, MeetTomCotton.com, that claims Fourth District Cong. Tom Cotton (R) is “too reckless for Arkansas.”

Cotton will announce Tuesday evening in Dardanelle that he will challenge incumbent Democratic Sen. Mark Pryor (D). The race will be the most high-profile campaign in Arkansas in 2014 and will be closely watched by national partisans as the seat could determine the balance of power in the U.S. Senate.

The web site, paid for by the Democratic Party of Arkansas, highlights nine issue areas connected to Cotton”s voting record and political positions. The areas include: Medicare, Social Security, women”s rights, student loans, the farm bill, disaster relief, health care, military strategy, and sanctions involving Iran.

“In seven short months, Tom Cotton has shown nothing but blind ambition as Arkansas’s newest congressman. After just 213 days in office, he’s decided to abandon the citizens of the 4th District to pursue a higher office,” said Democratic Party of Arkansas spokesperson Candace Martin.

“What has he done in those precious few days in office? Quite a bit. But none of it was good for Arkansas. He followed his blind ambition and own agenda, even alienating his fellow Republicans while voting with Washington special interests instead of listening to Arkansas”s needs. Just look at his voting record. At MeetTomCotton.com you can learn about his reckless agenda and how it has endangered the future of Arkansas families and seniors, women and students,” she added.

In a preview of what the remaining 15 months of the campaign may hold, Republicans were quick to counter.

“Mark Pryor is acting like a liberal politician desperate to hold onto power. After polling last week showed Pryor had the support of only 37% of voters, he has repeatedly launched negative attacks against Congressman Tom Cotton in a cynical effort to distract from his record of rubber-stamping the Obama agenda in Washington,” said David Ray, communications director for the Arkansas GOP.

“These false attacks may keep Washington liberals like Mark Pryor entertained, but they don”t do a single thing to alleviate the job losses brought on by Pryor”s votes for Obamacare, the failed stimulus, and new taxes he has burdened Arkansas” economy with,” Ray said.

The communications wars are certain to become more heated. Monday (Aug. 5) was the first day for Pryor”s new campaign press secretary, Amy Schlessing.

Schlessing, a former war reporter for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, has been working as an aide in Pryor”s office on military affairs.  She will be the official press contact for the campaign going forward and is no longer on his Senate staff payroll.