Washington news in brief

Isaac Foley is shown in this photo.
Isaac Foley is shown in this photo.

Crawford to holiday in Corning, Piggott

U.S. Rep. Rick Crawford didn't have to consult his calendar to know where he'd be spending his Fourth of July.

He'll be shaking hands and speaking in Clay County's two county seats, he said.

"One year they'll have the parade in Piggott and then the big speech event in Corning, and then the next year, they reverse it," he said. "It's a big day. It's a big deal, and anybody that's running for anything will be there," he said.

The Republican from Jonesboro said the gathering is almost a homecoming, and the number of out-of-state license plates briefly jumps.

"They'll have a carnival and rides and the whole nine [yards.] They'll have music, and people perform. It's almost like a county fair type of a deal," he said.

Piggott, on the county's eastern side, has 3,849 residents. Corning 25 miles west, claims 3,377, if the 2010 U.S. Census figures are still correct.

"They have a really good relationship in that they don't compete with each other. They work cooperatively, and it maximizes the attendance," he said.

As an elected official, Crawford said, attendance is pretty much mandatory.

"You need to be there. If you're in the 1st District, you need to be there," he said.

Eldridge in top 12 Senate challengers

A Capitol Hill newspaper has placed Conner Eldridge on its list of top Senate challengers.

Roll Call listed the Democrat from Fayetteville in 12th place. Thirty-four Senate seats are up for grabs in November.

The former U.S. district attorney is running against first-term Republican John Boozman for a seat that the political journal has classified as "Safe Republican."

"Eldridge has the right law-and-order background and conservative positions to be a viable candidate in Arkansas," it stated Thursday.

He'll need to raise a lot more money in order to win, Roll Call added.

FEC request pulled by Huckabee camp

An attorney for Mike Huckabee for President Inc. last week asked the Federal Election Commission to drop from its agenda discussion of an advisory opinion the campaign had sought.

The campaign had asked whether a legal defense fund could raise money to help pay off a recent lawsuit settlement.

Agency officials wrote a draft opinion in early June saying the arrangement would be acceptable, but followed it up with a revised draft opinion saying it would be improper.

The second draft stressed that Huckabee had personally guaranteed the settlement obligation so would benefit if others covered the cost.

The issue was set to be discussed by commissioners at Thursday's meeting in Washington, but in a letter dated Wednesday, attorney Douglas Chalmers said the campaign would withdraw its request for an advisory opinion.

The campaign was sued for copyright infringement for playing "Eye of the Tiger" during one of its events. The plaintiff has received $12,500 and an additional $12,500 is listed as a debt or obligation, according to FEC records.

Westerman's free food draws a crowd

U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman gave away free food Monday morning and attracted a crowd.

Billed as Biscuits with Bruce, it attracted scores of people to a pavilion in Hot Springs Village. Lt. Gov. Tim Griffin, Attorney General Leslie Rutledge and Land Commissioner John Thurston were also on hand.

So was Gus, the Westerman family dog.

"I just invited folks to come out and visit," the Republican from Hot Springs said. "We had the Village Big Band there playing, and it was a good event."

Constituents dined on sausage biscuits and chicken biscuits from Chick-fil-A. There were dog biscuits, too, for the pets.

Westerman's campaign footed the bill. The first-term Republican has no Democratic opponent but faces Libertarian candidate Kerry Hicks in November's election.

Annual fish fry held to benefit Boozman

U.S. Sen. John Boozman held his annual fish fry last weekend at Ward Nail Park in Lowell.

Supporters lined up for a chance to meet the Republican from Rogers and consume some of Catfish John's cuisine.

(The Rogers restaurant's slogan is "Nothing Fancy. Just Good Food.")

The campaign fundraiser cost $40 per person; $80 per family.

Boozman started the fish fry a decade or so ago, when he was still serving in the U.S. House.

He wanted "a low-key event, to get people together to eat some good food [and] hear some good music," campaign manager Chris Caldwell said.

Only American-raised, U.S. Department of Agriculture-inspected fish were served, he added.

UALR '15 grad joins in lobbying for poor

Dora Priscilla Hardaway, 30, attended the 2016 Results International Conference, which wrapped up Tuesday in Washington.

The annual meeting attracts anti-poverty activists and experts from across the country. Participants spend the final day lobbying, urging lawmakers to increase funding on programs that help the poor.

During her visit to Capitol Hill, Hardaway met with U.S. Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark., who serves as co-chairman of the Senate Hunger Caucus.

This was her first trip to the nation's capital.

"I love the environment. I love the different cultures. I think it's an awesome place to be," she said.

A December 2015 graduate of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Hardaway has two children, ages 12 and 13.

She knows, firsthand, what it's like to be poor.

"I am the face of poverty. I have a bachelor's degree in political science, but I'm still unable to find a job," she said.

She hopes to work for a lawyer or a political cause, to find something that will help her start paying off her student loans.

"Every day without a job, the interest is building," she said. "The longer I am without a job, the harder it is to feel like I'm going to be successful."

Arkansan gets job touting democracy

Three months after losing a race for state representative, Isaac Foley has taken a job in the nation's capital.

The 24-year-old University of Arkansas political science graduate started in a position June 20 with the International Republican Institute, a federally funded nonprofit group.

The group works to "encourage democracy in places where it is absent, help democracy become more effective where it is in danger and share best practices where democracy is flourishing," its website states.

Though officially nonpartisan, it's governing board is dominated by Republicans, and it is chaired by U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.

Foley, who grew up in Springdale, will work as an external relations associate, focusing on graphic design and video projects.

The Arkansan worked previously as a field representative for Arkansas' U.S. Rep. French Hill's 2014 campaign and was political director for the Republican Party of Arkansas.

He gave up the party job to run in Arkansas' 88th House district, finishing second in a three-way race. He lost in a runoff to businessman Clint Penzo of Springdale.

Planning to visit the nation's capital? Know something happening in Washington, D.C.? Please contact Frank Lockwood at (202) 662-7690 or [email protected]. Want the latest from the Democrat-Gazette's Washington bureau? It's available on Twitter @LockwoodFrank.

SundayMonday on 07/03/2016

Upcoming Events