Bill or Blanche? Cecile or Steve? You decide

Sure, elections take their toll on candidates. But it’s no picnic for voters either. All those handshakes, forced smiles, yard signs and commercials slinging more mud than facts wear away at even the most patriotic among us.

   It’s tough to blame people. Odds are a constant campaign cycle isn’t what the Founding Fathers had in mind.

   But if you took time to vote in the May 18 primary election, and you happen to care about the future of your state and nation, now isn’t the time to quibble over details. Instead, Northwest Arkansas residents ought to be busy reviewing each of the remaining candidates along the way to making informed, thoughtful choices in a number of runoff races to be decided June 8. 

   Two races in particular stand out:

   1. The U.S. Senate race to represent the Democrats against Republican John Boozman this fall.

   2. The campaign to represent the Third District in Congress. Paired from a pack of eight candidates, the June 8 vote pits Rogers Mayor Steve Womack against state Sen. Cecile Bledsoe.

   Insiders see Lincoln and Womack as the eventual winners in both races, and that may be true. But deciding who will (or should) win is anything but simple.

   After all, politicos were convinced U.S. Sen. Blanche Lincoln would put away Lt. Gov. Bill Halter sans runoff. Instead, Halter benefited from the same anti-incumbent attitudes Mr. Boozman is angling to capture.   

   Opponents say Halter would be the weaker of the two candidates in the general election due to his supposed liberal leanings. But won’t Sen. Lincoln seem “liberal” to a good many Tea Party sympathizers? Anyway, many Democratic voters tired long ago with the Senate Agriculture Committee chairman’s moderate voting record.

   Both campaigns have fought mightily to sway voters – but one gets the feeling it comes down to those Democrats demanding Anyone But Blanche versus those unconvinced that Halter is Senate material.

   Aside from wondering whether continued out-of-state ad buys will remain a factor, the real key is deciding where voters supporting third-place finisher D.C. Morrison are going. (We’d guess the incumbent.) This answer alone could decide the race. And yet…

   The reality is 2010 is a particularly bad year to be running as a member of Congress, especially since conservative-leaning Arkansas hasn’t been the biggest fan of President Barack Obama’s initiatives.

   In the Third District, accusations that Womack, the lead vote getter on May 18, isn’t conservative enough are laughable. Both candidates strike us as being polite, well spoken and sure in their beliefs – qualities sure to satisfy a congressional district that has been sending Republicans to Congress for decades.

   In case you didn’t notice, much has yet to be decided. Your democracy needs you. So go vote.