Northeast Arkansas Votes Crucial, Hutchinson Says

Hutchinson
Hutchinson

ROGERS -- Northeast Arkansas is the crucial region in the governor's race, GOP nominee Asa Hutchinson told a Republican crowd in Northwest Arkansas.

Both Hutchinson and Democratic opponent Mike Ross are former members of the U.S. House of Representatives. Each hold a home field advantage in their old districts, Hutchinson told a noon meeting of the Benton County Republican Women. Hutchinson represented Northwest Arkansas in the 3rd District while Ross represented 4th District in the south. Central Arkansas' 2nd District is split, Hutchinson said, leaving the race largely up to northeast Arkansas' 1st District.

Hutchinson wasn't taking his old district for granted, he said, saying a healthy turnout there was needed for him to win. However, both candidates' campaigns will make a voter-by-voter push on turnout from their long-time supporters, he said. Those efforts could largely offset each other, making the northeast crucial.

"The key swing area is northeast Arkansas," Hutchinson said.

2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney will appear at a rally for Hutchinson today in Jonesboro, the largest city in the northeast region.

Hutchinson spoke at the woman's group's monthly meeting, held at the Golden Corral restaurant in Rogers. Ross' campaign replied to Hutchinson's remarks in a statement.

"Northeast Arkansas will no doubt play an important role in this election, but Mike Ross is focused on talking to voters all over Arkansas -- every vote matters," the statement read. "Mike Ross has never been on the ballot in three-quarters of the state, including all of Northeast Arkansas, so his name ID is still relatively low compared to Congressman Hutchinson who has been unsuccessfully running for statewide office over the last 28 years." Ross' campaign will close that gap as the election nears, the statement said.

Tim Griffin, Republican nominee for lieutenant governor, was campaigning in Springdale later in the day Tuesday. He's also in a statewide campaign, running against Democratic nominee John Burkhalter. Griffin, who is the representative of the 2nd district, said he had seen northeast Arkansas show "massive changes going on. Mitt Romney carried that region by 20-something percentage points in the presidential race."

East Arkansas was formerly a Democratic stronghold, electing an unopposed Democratic congressman as late as 2008. In 2006, Democrat Marion Barry won re-election with more than 69 percent of the vote against Republican Mickey D. Stumbaugh, who was then mayor of Cabot.

NW News on 08/20/2014

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