2014 AR Senate debate: on Principles & Values


Mark Pryor: AdWatch: I believe in God; and only God has all the answers

Sen. Mark Pryor (D-Ark.) is hitting back at Rep. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) in a new ad for questioning his faith. The spot, first shared with The Hill, is aimed at touting Pryor's religious conviction in the heavily religious state--and undercutting months of work Cotton's campaign has put in to bolster his own image with positive ads.

Cotton said last week that Pryor thinks "faith is something that only happens at 11 o'clock on Sunday mornings" in response to the Hobby Lobby Supreme Court decision over the health care law's contraception mandate. Pryor demanded an apology, but none was forthcoming, and the controversial comments got plenty of local attention.

Pryor's new ad features local news coverage the kerfuffle, interspliced with the Bible verse, "Do not judge, or you too will be judged."

"I'm not ashamed to say that I believe in God, and I believe in His word. The Bible teaches us no one has all the answers, only God does," Pryor says in the ad. "This is who I am and what I believe."

Source: The Hill AdWatch on 2014 Arkansas Senate race Jul 8, 2014

Tom Cotton: Served in military, academia, and as management consultant

Ben Sasse and Tom Cotton have a lot in common: Republican candidacies for the Senate, Ivy League advanced degrees--a Yale PhD for Sasse, a Harvard law degree for Cotton--and a tour of duty in the white-shoe world of management consulting. One more thing: They are running as common-man conservatives from the heartland under the banner of the Tea Party.

The resumes of Sasse (R, NE) and Cotton (D, AR) do not exactly fit the profile of populists. That is especially true for the lines dedicated to the Boston Consulting Group and McKinsey & Company, firms that advise corporations on strategy, efficiency and ways to increase profitability.

Most of Cotton's adult life has been in academia and the military, and he has spent a year in Congress. His time at McKinsey was also barely more than a year, during which time his group leader immersed him in the intricacies--and the value--of the Affordable Care Act.

Source: N.Y. Times on 2014 Arkansas Senate race May 17, 2014

Tom Cotton: Fastest male in Congress; has finished 11 marathons

Rep. Tom Cotton retained his title as the fastest male in the 113th Congress, running the 3-mile course of the 33rd Annual ACLI Capital Challenge in 18:29. Cotton ran the course in 17:55 in 2013. Former Rep. Bart Gordon (D-TN) holds the record for the House: he finished in 16:59 in 1995.

Unfortunately for Cotton, his other big race--the heated Arkansas Senate campaign against Sen. Mark Pryor--has taken a toll on the congressman's workout regime. "I do have to work harder to get my runs in each morning," Cotton said. Proceeds from the event went to the Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation, which helps provide guide dogs to wounded veterans.

The congressman took up running as part of his Army training in 2005, and discovered he enjoyed the sport. Cotton has since run 11 marathons. If Cotton beats Pryor and runs the race as a senator in 2015, he has a better chance of breaking a record. The Senate record belongs to former Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT), who ran the 1981 Capital Challenge in 18:15.

Source: Roll Call's Gossip Blog on 2014 Arkansas Senate race May 1, 2014

Mark Pryor: Campaign theme: Pryor is responsible, Cotton is reckless

A Pryor campaign memorandum passed is summarized below. It is, of course, partisan, but it's loaded with plenty of worthy specifics: