Conner Eldridge in 2016 AR Senate race
On Foreign Policy:
Advocate for an aggressive, unapologetic foreign policy
Conner will strongly advocate for an aggressive, unapologetic foreign policy that is consistent with the United States Constitution. Those who would do us harm--whether ISIS, al Qaeda, or other countries or groups-should understand that we will destroy
them if they threaten or harm us. Conner will also work to advance a strategic vision that furthers America's interests throughout the world.
Conner will fight to ensure our nation's military, intelligence and diplomatic communities have the resources they need to continue to be the strongest in the world and to protect Americans here at home and abroad.
Fully support passage of an emergency spending bill for our military in 2017 to provide our diplomatic, intelligence and military communities the resources they need. [Source: connerforarkansas.com/issue]
Source: Vote-AR.org profile for 2016 Arkansas Senate race
Aug 8, 2016
On Free Trade:
Opposes Trans Pacific Partnership; supports fair trade
Eldridge reaffirmed his opposition to the Trans Pacific Partnership--a trade agreement between the United States and eleven other Pacific Rim countries. Eldridge said he is concerned about the trade deal's impact on Arkansas's workers,
especially the state's rice farmers. "I support fair trade that helps all Arkansans, including our rice farmers, which is why I oppose the Trans Pacific Partnership in its current form.
We need a trade deal that expands export markets for all commodities and strengthens Arkansas's entire agricultural and manufacturing communities - this deal does not meet that test. As someone who grew up on a rice farm in east Arkansas,
I understand the concerns voiced by everyday farmers and workers, which is why I know Arkansas loses with bad trade deals like this. We want free trade agreements that are fair and enforced on all countries.
Source: 2016 Arkansas Senate campaign website ConnerForArkansas.com
Apr 1, 2016
On Gun Control:
Enforce the gun laws already on the books
Eldridge issued the following statement in response to Pres. Obama proposing a series of executive orders on gun violence: "I disagree with the President bypassing Congress, but I also blame a dysfunctional Congress that has failed to act. Everyone in
Washington should do their jobs and enact bipartisan legislation that defends and secures the rights of lawful gun owners under the Second Amendment and makes it tougher for criminals, those with mental health conditions, and terrorists to obtain weapons
"As a senator and a strong advocate for the Second Amendment, I would work to encourage what I did as a prosecutor: enforcing the gun laws already on the books. I would also work to find long-term legislative solutions that improve the
background check system, strengthen mental health treatment in this country and keep weapons out of the hands of suspected terrorists -- and all while defending the constitutional rights of law-abiding American citizens."
Source: 2016 Arkansas Senate campaign website ConnerForArkansas.com
Apr 1, 2016
On Education:
I attended public schools and I will prioritize education
Former prosecutor and U.S. Attorney Conner Eldridge launched his campaign for the U.S. Senate Saturday at his family business in Augusta. Job creation, education, and national debt are just a few of the issues
Eldridge said he will prioritize as senator. `These problems have real consequences that I've seen growing up here in Augusta, attending the public school just down the road, working on the farm in
Lonoke, working with businesses to invest in growing the local economies of Arkadelphia and communities across the southwest and central areas of the state and for the past four and a half years, working with law enforcement
and leaders across the state to make Arkansas a safer place to live,` Eldridge said. Eldridge grew up in Augusta and Lonoke and earned his law degree from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville.
Source: WMC Action News 5 on 2016 Arkansas Senate race
Oct 19, 2015
On Budget & Economy:
Start doing something about $18 trillion in debt
Eldridge said that `in Washington, they brag the budget deficit has declined [and that] we should have a big party.`
He said the federal government's budget deficit is about $600 billion this year, and `in Washington, they say we wouldn't complain as much about them if we knew all the great things they were doing to help us. `In Arkansas we know better.
We know that we've got $18 trillion in debt and that debt has tripled from the time my opponent took office,` Eldridge said. `It is time we start doing something about it now.`
He said both political parties are to blame. `The facts are that somebody who has been there for over a decade does bear responsibility for much of what has happened,` he said.
Source: Democrat-Gazette on 2016 Arkansas Senate race
Oct 18, 2015
On Civil Rights:
OpEd: Dems embrace same-sex marriage; Eldridge is reluctant
Eldridge is not going to run as a real Democrat, but as the same old tired and failed finesser. - He rails against Obama's historic multinational agreement with Iran that threatens to make the world safer.
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He fails to embrace the increasingly successful Affordable Care Act and says only that it is a distraction to keep arguing about repealing it because we need to change it instead.
- He says he is opposed to abortion.
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He declines to embrace same-sex marriage except to say the legally plain truth that it's the law of the land and we may as well deal with it.
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Arkansas Democrats will assail me for dismissing their chances and undercutting the vital two-party system. But actually I favor a vital two-party system.
Source: Democrat-Gazette on 2016 Arkansas Senate race
Sep 15, 2015
On Abortion:
I'm personally opposed, but Roe v Wade is the law
Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Conner Eldridge supports the right to an abortion as affirmed by the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court Decision Roe v. Wade. A statement made to KUAR comes just one day after Eldridge said he was "personally" opposed to abortion,
with some exceptions: "Roe v Wade has been law for more than 40 years and I don't think it should be overturned. I have supported restrictions that Congress has imposed over the years, including the Hyde Amendment prohibiting federal funding of
abortions. And I will continue to support restrictions that keep abortions exceedingly rare while recognizing exceptions for victims of rape, incest and where the life and health of the mother is at risk."
Eldridge is the first candidate to file in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate. Republican incumbent John Boozman both personally opposes abortion and as an elected official wants access to the procedure, granted by Roe v. Wade, ended.
Source: UALR Public Radio on 2016 Arkansas Senate race
Sep 10, 2015
On Health Care:
Improve ObamaCare rather than distractions about repeal
Senate Democratic hopeful Conner Eldridge is calling efforts to repeal the federal health overhaul a "distraction," and says the focus should be on improving the law. The former U.S. attorney on Wednesday stopped short of saying whether he would have
voted for the health care law when it was approved in 2010."I think efforts at repeal right now are a distraction," Eldridge said after announcing his candidacy. "I do think there are flaws in the law, there are problems with the law, and
I would be focused and will be focused as a senator on correcting and fixing some of the real problems that are in that law."
Boozman and the rest of the state's all-GOP congressional delegation have repeatedly called for the law's repeal.
Boozman unseated Democratic Sen. Blanche Lincoln in 2010, in a race that focused primarily on her support of the law.
Source: Associated Press on 2016 Arkansas Senate race
Sep 10, 2015
On War & Peace:
Opposes Obama's Iran nuclear deal; needs more verification
Senate Democratic hopeful Conner Eldridge is distancing himself from President Barack Obama on a key foreign policy issue, opposing the Iran nuclear deal backed by the White House.Eldridge said he opposes the agreement, which aims to curb
Iran's nuclear program in exchange for billions of dollars in relief from international economic sanctions: "I think the Iran deal is a bad deal for our country,"
Eldridge told The Associated Press. "Reaching this deal enables $100 billion or more to go to the largest state sponsor of terrorism. That's just not a good deal in my opinion."
Boozman and the other members of the state's all-GOP
congressional delegation have criticized the deal. Eldridge said he didn't think the deal's verification measures are strong enough, and said he doesn't think the U.S. should negotiate the agreement without discussing Americans imprisoned in Iran.
Source: Associated Press on 2016 Arkansas Senate race
Sep 10, 2015
On Crime:
Work with law enforcement to reduce threats of violence
Over the last five years, I've had the honor of serving as U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas, working closely with our dedicated law enforcement throughout Arkansas--and this experience, along with my time in business,
gives me a unique perspective on what we have to do to create better paying jobs in Arkansas, to make education a top priority and to reduce the threats of violence and abuse that are disrupting our communities.
Source: 5 News Online coverage of 2016 Arkansas Senate race
Sep 9, 2015
On Drugs:
Spent 5 years as US Attorney taking on drug traffickers
A 37-year-old prosecutor who has spent the past five years in the headlines for taking on drug traffickers, child pornographers and other criminals, Conner Eldridge on paper has the ideal background to mount a bid for the US Senate next year.
But that resume is easily overshadowed by the political reality of just how dramatically Arkansas has moved from a Democratic stronghold in the South to a place where Republicans dominate up and down the ballot.
Eldridge's announcement last week that he is resigning as the U.S. attorney for western Arkansas was the strongest sign yet that he's inching toward a Democratic bid to unseat Republican US Sen. John Boozman.
But he's not ready to even acknowledge that possibility. Eldridge has the fundraising ability and the profile to run as the type of centrist candidate that's won voter support in the past.
Source: Commercial Appeal on 2016 Arkansas Senate race
Aug 15, 2015
Page last updated: Dec 08, 2018