NEA Political Animals Wrap Up First Full Year

The co-chairs of the Northeast Arkansas Political Animals Club can look at 2014 as a turning point in state politics and a focal point for their regional effort.

The club, which started in Sept. 2013, wrapped up its meetings for the year in November with a talk from outgoing Attorney General Dustin McDaniel.

“We could not have asked for a better year,” Republican co-chair Andrea Allen said.

Allen and Democratic co-chair L.J. Bryant have worked with the Jonesboro Regional Chamber of Commerce on building the club, which is modeled after ones in Little Rock and Northwest Arkansas.

Bryant said the club’s goal is to help educate voters about issues while bringing in interesting speakers to help people understand the political process.

Bryant said a meeting earlier this year, in which Talk Business and Politics Editor-in-Chief Roby Brock, Impact Management Group’s Clint Reed, and Hendrix College political science professor Jay Barth spoke, foretold the importance of Northeast Arkansas in the November election.

The club also had a bi-partisan selection of speakers, with Republicans – Sen.-elect Tom Cotton, state party chairman Doyle Webb – and Democrats like McDaniel and former Sen. David Pryor.

Cotton spoke about foreign policy during his talk, while Pryor gave a nearly six-decade history lesson of politics in Arkansas.

The club has hosted several debates this year.

Earlier this year, the group sponsored a debate with each of the candidates for the state Senate District 21 seat.

Republican John Cooper won the special election against Democrat Steve Rockwell, becoming the first Republican since Reconstruction to win the seat.

Debates were also held for the attorney general’s race, state legislative seats in Craighead County as well as a gubernatorial debate in October between Republican Asa Hutchinson and Democrat Mike Ross.

Allen said the gubernatorial debate was a success and took months of planning, working with ASU, the chamber, KAIT and KASU.

A LOOK AHEAD
Both Allen and Bryant said plans are being made for 2015.

Bryant said he would like to have an event with former Speakers of the Arkansas House, like Republican Davy Carter, Democrat Bobby Hogue and incoming Republican speaker Jeremy Gillam, to discuss the history of the position.

2015 may be an off-year in regards to elections, but Allen and Bryant said they hope to draw from a large number of possible presidential candidates for speakers.

So far, two people with Arkansas ties – former Governor Mike Huckabee and former First Lady and Sen. Hillary Clinton – are set to be considering a run for the White House.

Both Allen and Bryant said they also hope to bring in Sen. John Boozman, Hutchinson, incoming Attorney General Leslie Rutledge, state legislative leaders as well as prominent Democrats in the state as speakers next year.

They also hope to bring national members of the Fourth Estate to provide a national look on politics.

“It is a great avenue statewide. It is a real opportunity for business and politicos. Sometimes, we even break a little news at the meetings,” Bryant said.