LITTLE ROCK — Former legislator Jim Holt, who lost a challenge to U.S. Sen. Blanche Lincoln in 2004, said Tuesday he's pondering another try.
"We're thinking and praying about it," Holt of Springdale said.
Lincoln of Little Rock, a Democrat, is up for re-election in 2010.
She beat Holt five years ago by a margin of 56 percent to 44 percent and outspent him $5.8 million to $153,000.
In 2006, Holt was the Republican nominee for lieutenant governor, losing to Democrat Bill Halter.
Holt said next election year may be different.
"We're more concerned about the country, about the country going down the road of socialism," he said. "More and more people are paying attention."
He said he would try to make people aware of the votes of some of the seven Republicans who are running for the U.S. Senate.
He said "just because someone says, 'I'm a conservative,'" doesn't mean it's true. He said, "Some Republicans are more dangerous than Democrats as far as voting for big government."
Holt, 44, plans to make a decision by the middle of November.
He served one term in the state House (2001-03) and one term in the state Senate (2003-07).
He is now running a marketing business and an "arborist" business "doctoring and pruning" trees, he said.
Lincoln campaign manager Steve Patterson said Holt's "got to win a crowded Republican primary. [The Republican candidates] have to prove first they can win enough Republican votes [to be the nominee.]"
He said Lincoln has no comment about any individual Republican candidate.
"She's got all she can handle being chairman of the [Senate] Agriculture Committee and helping write a health-care plan," Patterson said. "She's not focused on the maneuverings of the Republicans."
Patterson sent out a fundraising e-mail earlier Tuesday.
"There are now seven Republican candidates in the race to defeat her, and while you and I know that their solutions only hurt Arkansas, they are making a lot of noise and getting some national media attention," Patterson wrote. "So the best thing that we can do right now is to show Senator Lincoln our support before the [third quarter] financial reporting deadline, midnight on Sept. 30."
The Republicans who have said they are running are: state Sen. Gilbert Baker of Conway, food company executive Curtis Coleman of Little Rock, retired Army Col.Conrad Reynolds of Conway, boat company executive Tom Cox of Little Rock, state Sen. Kim Hendren of Gravette, real estate company owner and delivery driver Fred Ramey of Searcy and financial adviser Buddy Rogers of Rogers.
Chase Dugger, the state Republican Party's incoming executive director, said Tuesday the party plans to hold a straw poll in Hot Springs on Dec. 5 among the Republicans seeking the GOP Senate nomination.
Information for this article was contributed by The Associated Press.
Northwest Arkansas, Pages 13, 18 on 09/30/2009