Cotton: Northeast Arkansas ‘Center Of The Political Universe’

The campaigns for the two major candidates for the U.S. Senate traded barbs Saturday as one candidate made a 110-mile trek through Northeast Arkansas to meet with voters.

Rep. Tom Cotton, R-Dardanelle, who will face incumbent Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Little Rock, Green party candidate Mark Swaney of Huntsville and Libertarian Nathan LaFrance of Bella Vista on Nov. 4, visited Newport, Jonesboro, Waldenburg and Blytheville Saturday. Pryor has visited the region on numerous occasions this year, too.

Cotton sat down with Talk Business and Politics in his campaign RV in Waldenburg to talk about the Senate contest.

Pryor’s campaign, over the past several months, has stressed Cotton’s votes on the farm bill, Social Security and Medicare as major differences between the two candidates.

Erik Dorey, Pryor’s deputy campaign manager, said Cotton’s “no” vote on a farm bill as well as a plan to raise the retirement age to 70 works against Arkansans.

“He is not telling the truth about his irresponsible votes,” Dorey said of the farm bill and retirement votes.

“It is an important part of Arkansas’ economy. Instead of listening to Arkansans, with the farm bill providing much of the economic engine, he has voted with out-of-state billionaires,” he said in reference to Cotton’s support from organizations such as the Club for Growth.

Cotton said he voted for a genuine farm bill that stressed funding and support for agriculture and helped try to reform the food stamp program.

“Instead of measuring how many people are on food stamps, we should measure how many people are off,” Cotton said. “I have had two or three farmers today thank me for my vote and for having it separate. We proved we can pass a farm bill without the food stamp (portion of the bill).”

On the Social Security issue, Dorey said Cotton’s voting record was “irresponsible” and the height of hypocrisy.

“For Congressman Cotton, it takes a special kind of arrogance to attack Senator Pryor on senior retirement — especially when no Republican or Democrat in Arkansas other than Rep. Cotton voted to increase the retirement age to 70 for Social Security and Medicare,” Dorey said.

Cotton communications director David Ray said the incumbent has a lot to answer for on the issue.

“Perhaps Senator Pryor should move out of his glass house before he starts casting stones. Just two years ago, Senator Pryor said the best way to fix Social Security was to raise the retirement age to 69. Now that he’s in the middle of an election year, he’s shamelessly running from his record and misleading Arkansas seniors,” Ray said.

Cotton also stressed his support for strengthening both programs.

“We have made a solemn commitment to keep Social Security and Medicare. Both of my parents receive Social Security and Medicare, so I don’t want to do anything to hurt it,” Cotton said, saying both programs have solvency issues that must be addressed. “It was Mark Pryor who was the only one to vote to cut $700 billion for Medicare in order to pay for Obamacare. And it will pass along an immoral debt to our children.”

NEA: ‘CENTER OF THE POLITICAL UNIVERSE’
Cotton said he had the opportunity to talk with voters this weekend in an area that most political observers agree will be a battleground this fall.

“Northeast Arkansas will be the center of the political universe for the next several months,” Cotton said. “I think Northeast Arkansas and Arkansas, in general, is ready for a political change.”

For his part, Dorey said he believes the challenger will have to work hard this fall.

“Congressman Cotton has a lot of work to do. He opposed the farm bill, which is crucial to Northeast Arkansas, and supported eliminating the Delta Regional Authority, which brings economic growth and private sector jobs to Delta communities,” Dorey said.

However, Cotton told the crowd that the decision is ultimately up to them.

“We need a change. We need a senator to put Arkansas first and really mean it,” Cotton said.