State's ex-chief supports Cotton

Huckabee makes a brief stop in LR

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Mike Huckabee, a former Arkansas governor and 2008 Republican presidential hopeful, made a short stop in Little Rock on Monday to stump for Republican U.S. Senate candidate Rep. Tom Cotton.

Huckabee was headed to Northwest Arkansas for an election-year Christian conservative gathering and stopped briefly at the terminal of a private airplane service late Monday to give Cotton his official endorsement. Huckabee, who now lives in Florida, turned reporters' questions about a possible 2016 presidential run back to the Senate race.

"I'm campaigning every week, three days a week, for candidates across the country," Huckabee said. "I couldn't get much more involved unless I decided to run for something. But that's out there in the future; right now, we have to get through 2014 and get people like Tom Cotton elected."

Huckabee is the latest Republican to campaign for Arkansas candidates this month. U.S. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, former presidential candidate Mitt Romney and Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus made the rounds last week. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is scheduled to campaign for gubernatorial candidate Asa Hutchinson later this week.

"The congressman is in a tough race for the U.S. Senate," Huckabee said. "There's no doubt in my mind that this is an important race, but not just for Arkansas, but for the country. And part of the reason is it's very important to America that [Senate Majority Leader] Harry Reid get moved to the back of the room."

Cotton also focused on aligning Cotton's Democratic opponent, two-term U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor, with Reid and President Barack Obama.

"Mark Pryor is enabling Harry Reid. Harry Reid is not Arkansas' senator , but he is muzzling the voice of a senator like [Arkansas Republican] John Boozman," Cotton said. "If we are going to be a voice for Arkansas, we need a conservative governing majority. And it's leaders like Mike Huckabee who are helping to make sure we have that majority not just in Arkansas, but all around the country."

Huckabee said he has no animosity toward Pryor.

"I worked with Mark Pryor when he was attorney general, when he was in the state Legislature. We always had a good relationship on a personal level and we still do. This is not personal. This is about what's best for America," Huckabee said.

Pryor's campaign said late Monday that it wasn't surprised by Huckabee's announcement.

"This endorsement was fairly predictable, but there are only so many former governors for Congressman Cotton to hide behind before he's forced to answer for his reckless votes against Arkansas Children's Hospital," said Erik Dorey, Pryor's deputy campaign director.

Pryor's campaign has accused Cotton of being the only member of the Arkansas delegation to vote against research funding for the state's only pediatric hospital. Cotton's campaign website says he supports funding for Children's Hospital and that his votes didn't hurt the institution. "No funding for Arkansas Children's Hospital was lost because of these votes," it states.

Metro on 08/26/2014