State Democratic Party Chief Visits Northwest Arkansas

SPRINGDALE -- Democrats statewide will have to outwork Republicans because they can't outspend the GOP's conservative allies, state Democratic Party chairman Vincent Insalaco told the Senior Democrats of Northwest Arkansas on Tuesday.

Pointing to Grimsley Graham, a candidate for the state House from Rogers, Insalaco said even if Graham "raised twice as much money as his opponent, or three times as much, he'll still be outspent" once third-party efforts against Democrats are accounted for.

Graham is the Democratic nominee running against GOP nominee Rebecca Petty for the District 94 state House seat. Insalaco spoke to the group at its regular monthly lunch meeting at the Western Sizzlin restaurant in Springdale.

"For the first time in 25 years, we have five candidates for the state House running here" in Northwest Arkansas, Insalaco said. Those candidates need local volunteers who will walk door-to-door in their campaigns if Democrats are to make gains in the region.

At least so far, the millions poured into the U.S. Senate race and other state contests by conservative third-party groups haven't been very effective, Insalaco said. When he was elected chairman in September, incumbent U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor, a Democrat, was widely considered to be doomed.

Third-party spending since then has been heavily against Pryor, but the race is close and Pryor is slightly ahead in most nonpartisan polling.

"Something's going on, and I don't know what it is," Insalaco said. After the meeting he said he suspects voters are frustrated with both Democrats and Republicans over partisan rancor. In their frustration, voters are tuning out partisan advertising and looking at the candidates themselves in deciding who to vote for, he said.

Insalaco pointed to the state Senate contest between Rep. John Burris, R-Harrison, who lost against political newcomer Scott Flippo of Mountain Home, a race in which third-party spending was prevalent.

Burris drew opposition from conservative groups for supporting the state "private option" health care expansion, which Flippo promised to oppose. 'That's the reddest Senate district in the state, and everybody knew Burris supported the private option and was key to passing it," Insalaco said. "Yet he still got 49 percent of the vote."

Another factor is third-party advertising from past years attacking the Obamacare health care reform law turned out to be wrong, and voters realize this, Insalaco said. "I know Republicans who employ thousands of people who are now glad to be able to carry their kids on their health insurance until they're 26," he said, citing a benefit of the law.

Doyle Webb, Republican state party chairman, was also in the region on Tuesday, said Lance Johnson, Washington County Republican chairman. Johnson deferred any comment responding to Insalaco to the state party.

A spokesman for the state GOP headquarters said the party would reply later.

NW News on 06/18/2014

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