Election Central: Democratic Treasurer Candidate Spells Out Office Ethics

From the Election Central campaign trail, here are today’s political headlines captured in our daily brief, courtesy of KATV’s Scott Inman.

U.S. SENATE DEBATES
The days long debate over debates in the U.S. Senate race continues. Both the Mark Pryor and Tom Cotton campaigns lashing out at each other in press releases over who has accepted what and why.

For the record, there is still only one debate in which both the Republican challenger and Democratic incumbent have agreed to participate. The one drawing the most back-and-forth is a proposal to debate in Fayetteville. Pryor has accepted a debate proposal from the Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce. Cotton’s campaign says it still has questions regarding the debate proposal.

The debate in Fayetteville limits topics to three: infrastructure, education, and jobs/economic development. Cotton’s campaign wants it open to other topics like healthcare, Social Security, and the national debt. Pryor’s camp is challenging Cotton’s assertion that he was ready to debate Pryor anytime he will agree.

FARM BUREAU FORUM
Meantime, the major party candidates for governor will be meeting tomorrow in Springdale at the Arkansas Farm Bureau’s officers and leaders conference. It’s called a forum, not a debate, and it begins at 10 a.m.

MITT, CHRISTIE TO HELP ASA
In case you missed it over the weekend, Republican gubernatorial candidate Asa Hutchinson is enlisting the help of former Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie next month.

Hutchinson on Saturday announced that Romney and Christie were coming to Arkansas for separate fundraisers. Christie will headline events in Northwest Arkansas and Little Rock on Aug. 27, and Romney will be at an event in Jonesboro on Aug. 20.

Hutchinson announced the events at the state Republican Party’s annual convention in Hot Springs.

NEW RGA AD
The Republican Governors’ Association released a new television advertisement today in the governor’s race, but the theme of the ad is not new. The ad again shows plenty of screenshots of Democrat Mike Ross and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi side-by-side, and attacks his record on taxes, and health care.

Factcheck.org debunking the RGA ad saying it ignores votes Ross cast in favor of tax cuts. The ad watchdog group also says there is “tax tally trickery” in the ad counting procedural votes as tax hikes.

HILLARY IN OR OUT?
The whole world may believe Hillary Clinton is running for president in 2016, but her husband is staying mum. Former President Clinton says he doesn’t know if his wife is going to run for president and said, “She hasn’t asked me yet.”

He called Hillary Rodham Clinton “the ablest public servant I’ve ever worked with” and he said determining whether to seek the Democratic Party presidential nomination is “a decision only she can make.”

Bill Clinton added, in his words, “I’m not going to try to jump the gun.”

He says that when his time was through at the White House in early 2001, he told his wife that she had made sacrifices to support his career for 26 years, and that he owed her 26 years in return.

DEMOCRATIC TREASURER UNVEILS ETHICS PLAN
Karen Sealy Garcia, the Democratic nominee for State Treasurer unveiled a code of ethics for the office.

She’s seeking to replace ousted Treasurer Martha Shoffner, who resigned last year. The Republican nominee for Treasurer is Saline County Circuit Clerk Dennis Milligan.

Garcia said, ““The last person elected to this office betrayed the public’s trust and left a financial mess. My administration will enforce a rigorous Code of Ethics for employees and all vendors to reform the office and restore the people’s trust.”

Her 10-page code of ethics outlines rules for employees and all companies or individuals who wish to do business with the Office of State Treasurer. You can read more here.