The Environment And The 1990 Governor’s Race

This week in 1990 there was a tumultuous battle in two gubernatorial primaries as Republicans and Democrats had contested races for the state’s top spot.

Then-Gov. Bill Clinton faced his stoutest Democratic primary challenge from Tom McRae (and for awhile Jim Guy Tucker), while Republicans had a bruising primary between Tommy Robinson and Sheffield Nelson.

Earth Day wasn’t nearly as popular or recognized at the time.  As a matter of fact, the environment was just becoming a big issue in politics.

In the 1990 Governor’s race, McRae claimed Clinton had been asleep at the wheel for nearly a decade and accused his administration of allowing “the polluters to regulate themselves.”

Clinton countered that all of his potential challengers were “Johnny-come-latelys” to the environmental stewardship game and accused them of having “amnesia” on his record.

The back-and-forth led to extensive coverage of the environment in the campaign.

On the GOP side, Nelson and Robinson had positions on several of the environmental issues of the day, such as clear-cutting, solid waste recycling, and pollution in the Arkansas River.

In these two news clips, courtesy of Ch. 7 and the University of Arkansas’ David and Barbara Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, we see how the battles were playing out.