Tolbert Report

The Tolbert Report

In what appears a turnaround from a few months ago when the Democratic Party of Arkansas disputed a report that “the party stands behind the health care law,” they now…

Crawford Defends Proposal On Conservative Talk Radio

On Thursday, Politico broke the story – “Freshman Republican Rep. Rick Crawford will propose a surtax on millionaires Thursday morning, a crack in the steadfast GOP opposition to extracting more…

Ellington Calls Crawford’s Proposal “Opportunist”

I spoke today with Prosecuting Attorney Scott Ellington, who is seeking the Democratic nomination for Congress, about the proposal from Republican Rep. Rick Crawford to pass a Balanced Budget Amendment…

Republicans Host Fundraiser for Democratic Rep. Hank Wilkins

An invitation to a fundraiser for State Rep. Hank Wilkins (D-Pine Bluff) includes the names of 20 of his colleagues in the House and the Senate, notably among them are…

The Fred Smith Mess

My Arkansas News column this week seeks to answer the question a lot of people are asking – What to do about Fred Smith? It is clear that Smith should…

Cotton First on the Air in Congressional Race

The Republican Primary in the south Arkansas Fourth Congressional District is shaping up to be a quite a race. In short, the match up is between the well-funded Tom Cotton…

Southern Tuesday: Win, Lose, or Draw

A week after Super Tuesday the primary moves south with voting in Mississippi and Alabama and also way down in the south Pacific with Hawaii. All in all, 110 delegates…

Democrats Fundraise on Protecting Abortion Rights in State Legislatures

My inbox today had a fundraising e-mail from the National Democratic Party written by their chair, Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz. She discusses the Democrats’ fight against a new Virginia state law…

Williams Makes Pitch for Speaker’s Chair Despite November Result

Rep. Darrin Williams (D-Little Rock) was elected Speaker-designate today by the outgoing House of Representatives over Rep. Terry Rice (R-Waldron) on what is most certainly a straight party line vote. …

Could the Virgin Islands Give Ron Paul His First Win?

Much of the Republican Primary attention this Saturday will be focused on the Kansas Caucuses, which will award 40 delegates based on the results. However, off the mainland, 3 island…

The Unsinkable Mitt Romney

You get the feeling watching the Romney Campaign this week that they are increasingly frustrated that these pesky voters are keeping the primary going where, in their view, everybody else…

Land Commissioner Thurston to Host First Time Candidates Workshop

When Arkansas Land Commissioner John Thurston ran for office in 2010, he was amazed how little help and advice was available to help candidates who were brand new to politics. …

Democrats and Secretary of State Wrangle Over Smith’s Candidacy

In some ways, it does not matter. Everyone except for perhaps former State Rep. Fred Smith knows he is not eligible to run for state representative due to a felony…

AG McDaniel Has Got Your Back (Pocket)

You may have seen the latest commercial from Attorney General Dustin McDaniel on his new “Got Your Back, Arkansas” campaign. This is a new consumer education and awareness initiative “to…

The Super Tuesday Scorecard

Republicans in ten states will cast ballots today to express their preference for the Republican nominee to take on President Obama in the fall. However due to a change in…

Rep. Terry Rice: A Soft-Spoken Leader

If you walk into a meeting at the Arkansas House of Representative, Rep. Terry Rice (R-Waldron) would not be the first member to grab your attention. Observers could see him…

Fiscal Session Wraps Up With Medicaid Issue Looming

I write in my Stephens Media Column today about the looming Medicaid shortfall the state has waiting to deal with just over the horizon to the tune of up to…

Smith Files For Re-election After Being Forced To Resign

Lots of excitement today at the state capitol with a surprise Democratic candidate that was especially surprising to Democratic Party of Arkansas officials, when former Rep. Fred Smith (D-Mississippi) showed…

Trucker Tax Cut Repeal Gets a Hail Mary Attempt

The action on the trucker tax cut repeal happened pretty fast this afternoon, but here is my best shot at breaking it down. The original resolution HCR1009, which would have…

Last Chance For Non-Budget Issues – Senate vs. House

Today is the last chance for any non-budget issues to be taken up during the legislative session. This is because today is the deadline for filing a bill so therefore…