U.S. Sen. Boozman files for re-election, will face a GOP primary challenger (Updated)

A Little Rock Republican announced Monday (Nov. 9) he will take on U.S. Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark., in next year’s Republican primary. Democrat Conner Eldridge and Libertarian Frank Gilbert filed last week for the race. Boozman also filed Monday (Nov. 9), which was the final day in Arkansas.

Curtis Coleman said he began considering challenging Boozman within the past 10 days based on the Senator’s record, he said after filing for the race Monday morning. Coleman said he was approached by potential supporters unhappy with Boozman’s voting record. He said Boozman has not been conservative enough, pointing to the senator’s votes in the past to raise the debt ceiling. However, Boozman on Oct. 30 voted against the most recent debt ceiling hike. Coleman also said Boozman has not been aggressive enough in advocating for conservative issues. 

“John is a very nice man,” he said. “I don’t know anybody that doesn’t like John Boozman. … We’re just at a place where nice is just not enough, and where we need somebody not just who will vote against Obamacare. We need somebody who will fight against Obamacare.”

Boozman filed to run for re-election Monday and then flew back to Washington, D.C.

His campaign manager, Chris Caldwell, said, “Senator Boozman is excited about the opportunity to continue to serve the people of Arkansas. He will be sharing his message of how he has been fighting the disastrous Obama agenda and how we can make our state’s economy stronger. And ultimately after November the senator will be serving the people of Arkansas for another six years.”

He said he was not worried that his candidacy could harm Boozman’s chances of being re-elected against Eldridge.

“Competition never hurts,” he said. “Competition never weakens anybody. Competition may reveal a weakness, but competition strengthens, and it doesn’t weaken.”

Coleman said he had been focused on state legislative races and had not realized Boozman’s record was unacceptable until studying it in recent days. Another factor was a recent University of Arkansas poll showing Boozman with 38-18% approval rating, with 44% not having an opinion or refusing to answer the question. Also, a recent CNN story indicated concern among party leaders that Boozman had raised less money in the last quarter than his Democratic opponent, Conner Eldridge.

“What really struck me is that 44 percent of Arkansans didn’t know enough about him to have an opinion, which I thought was remarkable given the fact that he’s been in Congress for 14 years,” Coleman said.

Coleman said he told a group of supporters that he and his wife were praying about his running for office, and that if they could raise the $20,000 needed to pay the filing fee, that he would more seriously consider running. He said more than that amount had been raised as of yesterday.

Coleman previously has run twice for statewide office, including once against Boozman. In 2014, he won 27% of the vote, 48,473 total, in the Republican Party primary facing now-Gov. Asa Hutchinson. In 2010, he won 5% of the vote, or 6,928 votes, in the Republican Party primary for U.S. Senate. Boozman won that eight-candidate race without a runoff. 

Coleman said he will be more competitive in this race because he has run previously, has developed statewide name identification, and has a grassroots network, Team Coleman, that has been focused on recruiting candidates to run for the Legislature.

Coleman said he has paid off his debt from his governor’s race and still has a couple of obligations from his Senate race, one of which is in dispute. 

He said he has several business interests, including starting an internet television station.