Beebe reelected Governor; Republicans winning other top spots

Gov. Mike Beebe (D) was approved by Arkansas voters for a second term, but trends in a close election have the Lt. Gov. and Secretary of State races moving to Republican wins.

Beebe won the gubernatorial race over Republican Jim Keet with 65% of the vote. Keet captured 33% of the vote, with Green Party candidate Jim Lendall getting 2%.

The popular Beebe was tested by Keet in the early phases of the contest, but Beebe was able to use a well-financed campaign (more than $5 million) to tout his accomplishments. Also, Keet hurt his momentum with questions about his past tax payments and assessments on an airplane and other property.

In mid-July, the first Talk Business general election poll in the gubernatorial race showed Beebe ahead of Keet by only 9 points (49-40%). In mid-September, a Talk Business/Hendrix College poll showed Beebe stretching his 9-point lead to 13 points. In mid-October, the Talk Business/Hendrix College poll had Beebe with a 50-34 lead over Keet, with Lendall pulling 3.5%, and 12.5% undecided.

The October poll showed Beebe with solid support among Democrats (84.1%), trails slightly among among independents (36.1% for Beebe to 42% for Keet) and is gaining 17.8% of Republican voters (to Keet’s 66.8%).

LT. GOV.

In the race for Lt. Gov., State Sen. Shane Broadway (D) and Springdale restaurant owner Mark Darr were locked in a close match. As of early Wednesday (Nov. 3), Broadway had 356,150 votes and Darr had 367,973 votes with 92% of all state precincts reporting.

If Darr wins, he will have barely survived a come-from-behind bid by Broadway. The Arkansas GOP in August reported that Darr and other Republican state officer candidates were ahead in the GOP’s internal polling.

Darr, owner of a Pizza restaurant in Springdale, made his pitch to Arkansas voters that a small business owner would do a better job of monitoring state government than someone who is part of the political system. Broadway touted his experience as Speaker of the House and support of pro-growth/business policies in the Arkansas Senate.

SECRETARY OF STATE

State Rep. Mark Martin (R) and Pulaski County Clerk Pat O’Brien (D) were also locked in a tight race for the Secretary of State position. With 93% of precincts reporting, Martin had the edge in the race with 370,498 votes and O’Brien had 354,840 votes.

Martin, who represented the northern part of Crawford County and southern part of Washington County as a state Representative, ran on a small government platform and attacked O’Brien for being Obama’s Arkansas manager during the 2008 presidential election.

LAND COMMISSIONER

The Arkansas Land Commissioner race delivered two political rookies to the voters, with L.J. Bryant (D) of Newport and John Thurston (R) of Bigelow.

Thurston was on track to win the post with 52% of the vote.

PARTY LABELS

Thanks to voter anger at Washington D.C. Democrats, party labels carried atypical advantages and disadvantages among many statewide races. A mid-September Talk Business/Hendrix College poll showed Republicans Mark Darr, Mark Martin, and John Thurston lead their races for Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, and Land Commissioner by 17, 18, and 25 points, respectively.

However, when party labels were removed, all three Democratic candidates saw their deficits turn into advantages, although they remained a long way from 50%. O’Brien moved from an 18-point deficit to a 10-point lead; Broadway moved from a 17-point disadvantage to a 5-point lead; and newcomer L.J. Bryant moved from a 25-point deficit to a 6-point lead in his race.