Mark Pryor facing tough race from Republican newcomer in Arkansas
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
It's looking like Senator Mark Pryor (D-Ark.) won't have a repeat of the comfortable second-term victory he scored six years ago. Fox News reports Pryor "is in the fight of his political life against a budding Republican superstar, Rep. Tom Cotton (R-Ark)."
Cotton, a decorated Army veteran and Harvard graduate, won his very first election less than two years ago. Now, a PPP poll has Cotton 5 points ahead of Pryor, while a new USA Today poll puts Pryor up by 2.
Pryor's campaign is attacking Cotton for being "against seniors, students, and women" and for voting against the farm bill.
Article continues belowThe Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Cotton, meanwhile, said the main reason he voted against the farm bill was because the Senate refused to make a vote on food stamps separate (Cotton's platform focuses heavily on cutting spending), as the House did. He said his decision was also due to the fact that many of the farmers he spoke to were against the legislation.
Cotton is counting on President Obama's low approval ratings to boost his campaign, which uses the slogan, "A vote for Mark Pryor is a vote for Barack Obama." Pryor has voted with the president 93 percent of the time.
Pryor, for his part, has accused Cotton of acting as a pawn for the agendas of the Koch Brothers and Club for Growth, who heavily support him.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
