Gubernatorial nominees set sights on state's black voters

With Election Day approaching, Republican gubernatorial nominee Asa Hutchinson and his Democratic rival Mike Ross are highlighting their efforts to win the support of black voters.

Hutchinson, a former 3rd District congressman who lives in Rogers, said Tuesday that he is running a radio ad through Election Day featuring a baseball star from Pine Bluff.

Ross on Wednesday highlighted his support from the Arkansas Legislative Black Caucus' members, and the state Democratic Party has been airing commercials highlighting prominent black Arkansas Democratic supporters.

According to the U.S. Census, 15.6 percent of Arkansans classify themselves as black or African-American.

In recent decades, blacks have overwhelmingly supported the Democratic Party, but Hutchinson hopes to make inroads on Election Day.

In Hutchinson's ad, Detroit Tigers outfielder Torii Hunter asks voters to "make real change in our community by casting party labels aside and voting our convictions" on Election Day.

Hunter says that Hutchinson fought for more black legislative districts as an attorney, is "committed to ... a strong faith in God, equal justice for all and keeping marriage between one man and one woman," and "wants all children to have access to computer science, to expand charter schools, and bring more jobs and small businesses into our communities."

The Hutchinson ad is airing on 10 stations across the state, said Hutchinson spokesman J.R. Davis.

The outlets cater to various audiences, including sports fans, urban gospel aficionados and lovers of R&B and "old school" music.

While Hutchinson was highlighting a Major League Baseball great, Ross was emphasizing his support among black political leaders.

The chairman of the Arkansas Legislative Black Caucus, Rep. Fred Love, D-Little Rock, announced Wednesday at Ross' campaign headquarters in Little Rock that each caucus member has endorsed Ross for governor. The caucus' members include 14 Democratic lawmakers and three Democratic representatives-elect.

Ross is "a bipartisan bridge-builder who appreciates Arkansas' rich heritage and understands that our diversity makes us stronger," Love said of the former 4th District congressman who now resides in Little Rock. "He will be a governor that will listen to all people."

Love said Ross "is the only candidate in this race who has detailed policy proposals to grow Arkansas' middle class and to create more opportunities to succeed for all Arkansans, particularly for women and minorities."

Hutchinson and Ross are drawing attention to their efforts to lure black voters because "voter turnout is the key to electoral success and you are going [to need] to get your people to the polls," said Hal Bass, a professor of political science at Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia.

It's important for Ross because of the tendency of black voters to cast ballots for Democrats in Arkansas and across the nation, Bass said.

A small minority of black voters are reliable Republican voters in Arkansas and Hutchinson "wants them to show up" and cast ballots for him, Bass said.

Hutchinson told several dozen people at a Republican get-out-the-vote rally Wednesday in Little Rock that "we have expanded and not just taken for granted our traditional base.

"But we've worked [in] the minority community in saying the Republican Party and our candidates are open to those that are minority, that those that may not have been traditionally participating in the Republican Party," he said. "We have reached out to them.

"I know that we can grow the base and show them that we are the party of opportunity," Hutchinson said.

He added that Tuesday's vote also is a referendum on the leadership of the nation's first black President. "... But if all else fails in attracting votes, remember that President [Barack] Obama said that his policies are on the ballot this year," he said.

At Ross' news conference, Sen. Joyce Elliott, D-Little Rock, said the state needs a governor who will try to block future efforts to enact another measure requiring voters to provide a photo ID to cast their ballots, after the state Supreme Court earlier this month ruled that the law enacted in 2013 was unconstitutional.

The Republican-controlled Legislature enacted that law in 2013 after Democratic Gov. Mike Beebe vetoed it.

Ross said he's sure there will be future partisan attempts to reinstitute the voter-ID law.

"I would do exactly what Gov. Beebe did. I will veto any law to make it more difficult for people to vote in Arkansas," Ross said. "Gov. Beebe at the time said it was a solution in search of a problem. I don't know how to say it any better than that."

Hutchinson said he still supports requiring voter identification. "You want to expand voter participation. You don't want anything to interfere with that. If there are ways that we can make it better, then I am open to it to make sure it is not a burden on citizens. But it is essential for having integrity at the ballot box."

"As to what means you take down the road to accomplish it, you have to wait and see. I haven't studied the legal side of it yet," he said.

Ad arguments

In addition to debating the issues, Republicans and Democrats spent part of Wednesday talking about sports superstars' ad pitches.

While Hutchinson was highlighting his Hunter ad, the state Democratic Party was denying that one of its spots was a ripoff of a more than 20-year-old Michael Jordan commercial.

In a related development, attorney George Ritter of Maumelle sent a letter Tuesday to state Democratic Party officials and KIPR, KOKY, KPZK, KJBN, KHLR and KCAT radio stations directing them to "immediately CEASE and DESIST running these Mike Ross ads."

Ritter wrote that he represents Bernie Pitzel and Ira Antelis of Chicago, who worked on a series of ads for Gatorade and their advertising agency in the 1990s, and were responsible for developing the "Be Like Mike" jingle.

Jordan, the pro-basketball giant, starred in the ads for the neon-colored sports beverage.

Nearly a quarter-century later, Ross supporters have created an "I Believe in Mike" ad series "using stolen lyrics and music from the Michael Jordan Gatorade ads," Ritter wrote.

"Mr. Pitzel and Mr. Antelis still own the copyrights and music publishing rights for the Michael Jordan Gatorade ads. You have not requested nor received permission from them to use either the lyrics or the music from their ads. You are therefore in violation of federal copyright law," Ritter said.

The Gatorade spot includes lyrics such as "I dream I move, I dream I groove like Mike. If I could be like Mike."

The Ross ad states "We can achieve, if we believe in Mike. I believe in Mike."

Ross referred questions about the radio ad to the state Democratic Party, saying he doesn't know about the letter.

"It sounds like a last-minute dirty trick. I am sure you are going to see a lot of those in the next six days," he said

Veronica Ayers, general manager for KJBN-FM radio station in Little Rock, said she was advised by her boss to pull the radio ad until the station's attorney reviews the matter.

But an attorney for the state Democratic Party, T. Benton Smith of Jonesboro, said in a letter dated Wednesday to Ritter that "the party is astonished by these allegations" alleging copyright violations.

The Democratic Party contracted with The Design Group, "which developed and produced a series of ads you allege violate copyright law," Smith wrote in his letter. "There are no 'stolen lyrics and music' as you allege. In fact, the lyrics are not the same; it contains original instrumentation, music and talent."

The party has no reason to believe that there has been any violation of federal copyright laws and The Design Group is "confident that their work violates no law and should remain on the air," Smith said.

A section on 10/30/2014