Arkansas Republicans are learning the hard way not to tout the universal “R” for election in this state.

The party’s No. 1 goal this year is to win control of one or both houses of the Arkansas Legislature.

Part of the effort has been financial support all for legislative candidates with that all-important “R” attached to their names.

The party itself and some of its leading candidates for other offices have contributed to the cause.

There is every indication the margin will be close and the majority may tip the Republicans’ way.

The situation argues for Republicans to support other Republicans to win that edge.

It turns out, however, every Republican candidate may not be helpful to that cause.

Three of the party’s candidates have made quite the name for themselves, one for asserting slavery was a “blessing in disguise,” another for advocating the deportation of all Muslims and the third for labeling Abraham Lincoln a “war criminal.”

The first of those assertions belongs to state Rep. Jon Hubbard of Jonesboro, who wrote in a 2009 self-published book “the institution of slavery that the black race has long believed to be an abomination upon its people may actually have been a blessing in disguise.” Enslaved African-Americans were better oft , he wrote, than they would have been had they not been captured and shipped to the United States.

Hubbard’s book is “Letters To The Editor: Confessions Of A Frustrated Conservative.”

Charlie Fuqua of Batesville, a former Republican state lawmaker, is responsible for the Muslim hate speech. He wrote in a 2012 book titled “God’s Law” there is “no solution to the Muslim problem short of expelling all followers of the religion from the United States.” Fuqua formerly represented Springdale in the Legislature.

The third lawmaker under recent fire for extremist views is state Rep. Loy Mauch of Bismarck, who has written Abraham Lincoln was a “war criminal” and Jesus Christ condoned slavery.

Two of these men, Hubbard and Mauch, are sitting lawmakers. The third is a former lawmaker.

Theoretically, the people who elected them in the past or voted this year to make them Republican nominees knew who they were and what they had been writing.

Chances are, however, that not all did and may reconsider that support when the general election vote comes around. Their extremist views might even give some voters pause about other Republicans who have supported these people.

Understandably, Republican state party officials are backing oft the three. State Republican Party Chairman Doyle Webb said this week that the party would not further contribute to their campaigns. The party helped them in the past but won’t help any more.

U.S. Rep. Tim Griffin, who represents the state’s2nd Congressional District, has asked contributions he made to the three be given to charity.

Both Arkansas Times and Talk Business have reported extensively on the writings of the three Republican candidates and cited contributions they each have received from Griff n and 3rd District Rep. Steve Womack as well as from the state party and other Republican sources.

In the days to come, there is likely to be more crawfishing by those who have previously shown support for the three men.

But Hubbard, for one, claims his writings have been distorted and that he’s under attack because he is “conservative.”

That’s part of the lesson here. The word doesn’t necessarily mean the same thing to everyone.

People looking for “conservative” candidates or, for that matter, “liberal” candidates, ought to probe deeper than their party labels to know what views they would really carry to the state Legislature.

BRENDA BLAGG IS A FREELANCE COLUMNIST AND LONGTIME ARKANSAS JOURNALIST COVERING LOCAL AND STATE ISSUES.

Opinion, Pages 5 on 10/10/2012