Yesterday was the filing deadline for congressional seats in Arkansas, and Republicans failed to recruit a candidate to run against Sen. Mark Pryor, practically ensuring the seat will remain in Democratic hands.
Would-be candidates were required to file by noon Monday. Republican Tom Formicola, a healthcare executive and failed congressional candidate in 2006, had formed an exploratory committee to consider a bid, however, he ultimately chose not to run.
"I feel my talents, skills, and resources will better serve in assisting Republican candidates for the legislature, state senate and presidency win their elections in November," Mr. Formicola said in a statement.
Mr. Pryor captured his seat in 2002 after defeating Republican incumbent Tim Hutchinson by a margin of 54 to 46 percent. He had raised $4.4 million for that bid, compared to Mr. Hutchinson's nearly $5.1 million.
Matthew Miller, a spokesman for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, said the people of Arkansas are satisfied with their current lawmaker.
"It's a sign of the good job Mark Pryor has done in the Senate and his popularity in the state made it really hard for anyone to take him on," Mr. Miller said. "I think there haven't been very many Republican candidates willing to step forward and run this cycle, and in each case it's been because they've not wanted to take on strong Democratic senators."
Democrats are defending 12 seats this cycle; the non-partisan Cook Political Report rated the Pryor seat as a "solid Democratic" one.
Arkansas Republican Party chairman Dennis Milligan attributed his party's failure to attract a candidate to a "top-heavy" approach, rather than a solid "farm team," or ground-up approach toward recruiting contenders.
"We just haven't done a good enough job of preparing top-tier candidates to step in," Mr. Milligan said. "So this is kind of what you get. We're now back to the basics."
Mr. Milligan said the state party would focus on capturing state legislative races that he hopes could yield a solid contender to unseat Sen. Blanche Lincoln, Arkansas Democrat, in 2010.
--Carrie Sheffield, Web editor, The Washington Times
