Cook: The Slow Death of Arkansas ‘Must Attend’ Political Events

This Saturday is the 72nd annual Gillette Coon Supper, which is a wonderful event for the local community and raises money for worthy causes.

I’ve been to the Coon Supper more times than I can count and still have an impressive collection of commemorative Coon Supper cups.

The upcoming Coon Supper got me thinking about Arkansas political traditions and so-called “must attend” political events. I’m now of the mindset that in this modern age of campaigning there are no longer any more “must attend” political events for candidates for major offices.

To be sure, candidates for local office must still must attend the Pink Tomato Festivals, the Hope Watermelon Festivals, etc., but it seems that candidates for higher office don’t really have to go anymore, or at least not as often.

The best example that drove home the proof of this change to Arkansas traditions pertains to Tom Cotton, the Bradley County Pink Tomato Festival and last year’s U.S. Senate race.

Held in June, the Pink Tomato Festival was long considered a “must attend” political event for all major candidates. However, instead of attending the festival, Cotton, in the midst of heated U.S.Senate campaign, skipped the event and jetted off to California to hang out a swanky resort with Koch brothers and other major donors.

In the end, the political fallout for Tom Cotton for skipping this “must attend” event was enormous. Last November, Cotton only won Bradley County by five points.

See what I mean? Cotton skipped their major event and Bradley County voters didn’t even care.

I spoke with Dr. Jay Barth, political science professor at Hendrix College, about the slow death of “must attend” political events and what has caused it.

“I think we probably have reached a point where a combination of the rise of media and the rise of money in politics and the nationalization of all the politics has really changed the rules of the game,” said Barth.

Barth noted that often these political events are not quite as important to the local community as they once were.

“Generally speaking, these events are a little less important in the life of a community than they once were too. A generation ago nobody in a local community would even think about missing a big event and while it’s true people generally go now I think we’re starting to see some disconnect with some communities as well,” said Barth.

Since I was about 18 I’ve attended many of these “must attend” political events around the state and I’ve personally seen their decline and growing irrelevancy over the years. Either attendance is way down, or the people at the event don’t care to meet the candidates.

The Coon Supper is a perfect example. The event is always packed to the gills with area residents supporting their community and it’s is a fun slice of Americana. If you haven’t ever been, you must attend it at least once.

But since candidates are generally not allowed to speak, the attendees probably won’t even know if a candidate was or was not there. Nowadays it doesn’t seem to be a political plus or a minus anymore if a candidate for major office does or does not attend. Ironically, I wonder if one small reason the Coon Supper is always well attended is that folks don’t have to hear the politicians drone on?

It now seems that if you’re running for statewide office you can probably skip a Coon Supper or a Pink Tomato Festival and still get elected if you have the money for television, or if an outside group can buy some TV ads for you.

It’s a disheartening change in Arkansas politics.