Mark Pryor in Past and present Senate candidates from Arkansas

On Government Reform: Government shutdown is reckless & irresponsible

Sen. Mark Pryor blasts Rep. Tom Cotton for forcing a government shutdown and hurting the economy in a new ad: "Tom Cotton cost us billions. The government shutdown cost America $24 billion. Cotton and a small group of reckless congressmen took our country to the brink of default. His irresponsible actions weakened our credit and damaged our economy," the ad's narrator says. "Fortunately, wiser heads prevailed. Senators like Mark Pryor brought Democrats and Republicans together to end the shutdown and responsibly cut spending."

Pryor has zeroed in on the shutdown in an attempt to paint Cotton as "reckless," a term he's used in multiple ads. The ad is running statewide.

In response, the Cotton campaign released the following statement: "This ad is a total fabrication. Tom Cotton voted five times to fund the government and end the shutdown. Senator Pryor voted against four separate compromise measures that could have opened the government sooner.

Source: The Hill's AdWatch of 2014 Arkansas Senate debate Oct 22, 2013

On Health Care: AdWatch: Targeted by RNC robocalls for support of ObamaCare

Sen. Mark Pryor is among 11 Democrats targeted by the Republican National Committee for their support of ObamaCare. The RNC is using robocalls and posting on Facebook to urge people to call their representatives and ask "why they supported President Obama's lie that people could keep their healthcare plans under ObamaCare."

The targets besides Pryor are Reps. Gary Peters (MI) and Bruce Braley (IA), Sens. Mark Warner (VA), Mark Begich (AK), Dick Durbin (IL), Kay Hagan (NC), Mary Landrieu (LA), Jeff Merkley (OR), Jeanne Shaheen (NH), and Mark Udall (CO). The robocall script reads:

"President Obama and the Democrats said you could keep your healthcare plan under ObamaCare. Now we know [SENATOR] actually VOTED to make it more difficult. Call [SENATOR] at (XXX)-XXX-XXX & ask why [he/she] lied."

The robocalls are a response to Democrats launching the "GOP Shutdown Watch" campaign, highlighting Republican senate candidates who supported the partial federal government shutdown.

Source: MI Daily Tribune PacWatch: 2014 Arkansas Senate debate Nov 5, 2013

On Health Care: AdWatch: False that Medicare vouchers increase seniors' cost

The main takeaway from a recent campaign ad from Sen. Mark Pryor is that Republican challenger Rep. Tom Cotton is changing Medicare as we know it. A Feb. 5 television ad features Courtney, a young woman who's "never been really political."

"It says here Cotton voted in Congress to change Medicare into a voucher system that will increase out-of-pocket expenses for every senior in Arkansas," Courtney said, pointing to her laptop. "Thousands of dollars every year. My grandma and grandpa can't afford that, and neither can my parents." The facts?

We've previously fact-checked whether or not Cotton voted to turn Medicare into a "voucher system." We rated that Mostly True.
But instituting a voucher system wouldn't directly change coverage for current seniors on Medicare. That's a far cry from the ad's claim that a voucher system would increase costs for "every senior."
Our ruling: Cotton did vote for a voucher-like system, but we rate the "increases expenses" claim Mostly False.

Source: PolitiFact AdWatch on 2014 Arkansas Senate race Feb 5, 2014

On Principles & Values: AdWatch: I believe in God and I believe in His word

Pryor launched a new political ad, in which he doesn't talk about political issues or his opponent; he just talks about the Bible:

"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. And neither political party is always right. This is my compass, my north star. It gives me comfort and guidance to do what's best for Arkansas. I'm Mark Pryor, and I approve this message because this is who I am and what I believe."

The centrality of faith in Pryor's life is well-known. But the ad was slammed by the National Republican Senatorial Committee, who mockingly suggested the ad contradicted comments Pryor had made last year: "The Bible is really not a rule book for political issues. Everybody can see it differently."

The ad has drawn a mixed response from progressive commentators, especially Pryor's "I'm not ashamed" line, suggesting it is a dog-whistle for those who believe that Christianity is under attack in America.

Source: Huffington Post AdWatch on 2014 Arkansas Senate race Dec 11, 2013

On Principles & Values: 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:

THEME: Pryor is responsible, Cotton is reckless (see votes on the farm bill, Medicare, Social Security, student loans, disaster aid, domestic violence legislation)
AMBITION: Too much of it in a candidate is not a good thing. See who owns Cotton, particularly the $300,000 bundled from the Club for Growth. He's so hungry, he appeared to have solicited funds on a radio interview from the Capitol, a no-no. He skipped a day of work to raise money in Texas.
WHO'S MORE OF AN ARKIE? Pryor will concede Cotton's fine resume, including voluntary military service. But what kind of Arkie would blow up the farm bill, despite pleas from every farm group?

SUMMARY: The race will be close. Pryor will win with his Arkansas First theme against a "reckless" and "irresponsible" candidate. Source: Arkansas Times AdWatch on 2014 Arkansas Senate race Jan 1, 2014

On Principles & Values: 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

The above quotations are from Winners and Losers Senate candidates from Arkansas. Click here for other excerpts from Winners and Losers Senate candidates from Arkansas. Click here for other excerpts by Mark Pryor. Click here for a profile of Mark Pryor, or a Ballotpedia political profile
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Page last updated: Mar 29, 2026