Arkansas Politics

Reed’s In

Reed
Reed

Former Arkansas Farm Bureau chieftain Stanley Reed says he’ll enter the GOP primary field in the 2010 U.S. Senate race. Once you’re finished digesting that, feast on the fact that Arkansas News Bureau columnist David Sanders will serve as his campaign manager.

Wondering: Will Reed have to declare Sanders’ column that ran one day ago, in newspapers throughout the state, critiquing the rest of the GOP field, as an in-kind contribution? Memo to John Brummett: Get on this! Easy Sunday column!

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19 thoughts on “Reed’s In

  • Bill from Sheridan

    This is the best news that the Republican Party of Arkansas has ever had.

    Reply
  • Fourche River Rex

    I don’t see Reed winning and it makes me wonder what David Sanders is up to. If Reed loses, what becomes of Sanders? How many jobs has he given up for this?
    He’ll end up with no job other than running a sporadically updated crap blog with pictures of half naked women and visitors who hide behind the names of dogs and songs and towns and bodies of water. More importantly, who will cover the important events in the lives of Sanders’s friends for Stephens Media? What if Carlton Saffa has some other milestone that needs to be described to those of us not lucky enough to get an invite? Who will be the name dropping yin to Brummett’s name dropping yang?

    Why don’t I think Reed will win? The same reason I don’t think Scott Wallace will win; he is an unknown to the little gray haired ladies (or redhaired in the case of Reta Hamilton) that make up the party base. You know, the ones that make Robert Obar wax their bunions and don’t sit up at midnight playing on the internet?

    I heard a story once about a recently retired Gen. Wesley Clark wanting to run for Governor. He was told to walk through the middle of Little Rock and count how many people recognized him. He did and returned home knowing he had to work on creating a name for himself before he plunged into politics. He started doing cable news programs and speaking to groups to build up his name I.D..

    If Stanley Reed walked into a County Committee meeting, whould anyone recognize him if he didn’t have an entourage? They would Gilbert Baker. Sure, they’ll get to know Reed’s name, but they won’t KNOW Reed.

    That’s the issue with all 900 people running for Senate against Gilbert. Right or wrong, Gilbert is a known. For the love of Pete, he was the party chairman. The same is true with Tim Griffith; well, not the party chairman thing, but being a player in party politics. This is a primary, not a general election, so such things matter… a lot.

    Which may explain Sanders being on board. After all, that’s got people talking and people in the party know Sanders. So Reed gets some street cred by having Sanders on board. Its like Little Wayne trying to prop up Jay Sean on “Down.” The public may not know Jay Sean, but who don’t know Little Wayne? Maybe the yard signs will say “Stanley Reed (feat. David Sanders.)”

    That said, Reed does have a good network for a general election contest. He may have one of the better networks for a general election of any statewide candidate on the Republican ticket since Huckabee. But that doesn’t get him past the primary.

    I guess we’ll see. I don’t care, really. I just want a Republican to win something…anything…on a statewide level. I don’t care if he donated money to Blanche and had a menage a trois with Satan and Nancy Pelosi last week. If he’ll vote conservative and for conservative Senate leaders, I’ll support him.

    But the most important thing is that Sanders is in on a campaign and we have Kim Hanke talking about running for something or the other. If David Bazzel would run for office as a Republican, we’d have a party full of great hair. Who says we don’t emulate Reagan?

    Reply
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  • I’m not sure how many people, outside Party insiders, would recognize Gilbert Baker if he walked in to a room. We have a lot of candidates running for the U.S. Senate who have never run for a statewide office before. With that being said, consider how this race will shake up when Jim Holt enters the race. With 40% of Republican votes coming from NW Arkansas and Jim running statewide races in the past, I believe he will be the Republican facing the Democrat for that seat. Holt is the most conservative and the best candidate for the job.

    Reply
  • Pokerface

    Hey Cory-
    Everyone would recognize Lu Hardin; I guess he should run, huh?
    Oh yeah, he’s a crook, I forgot. Didn’t Gilbert Baker have something to do with that UCA mess?Is the FBI still in Conway investigating improper spending and political corruption?

    On a side note, has Robert Herzfeld curbed his caffeine intake? It was nice to see your letter in the Grey Lady. Your mother must be proud, legal eagle.

    Reply
  • Pokerface

    Also, Cory (Fourche)-

    How funny that you would rant about candidate recognition, uphold Tim Griffin as someone with it, but even you (a big-shot insider) don’t know his name.

    “TIm Griffith” ?????

    Reply
  • Elizabeth

    I’d say that Fourche most likely was suffering from lack of sleep dear po-po-po-po-Pokerface. He did post after midnight, so going after him for a simple spelling error is beyond petty. Can’t think of something else more constructive?

    Bottom line is that I’ll be interested to see who is still in this thing after Christmas. I don’t have a horse in this race, but a smaller crowd wouldn’t make us look like an aspiring baseball team.

    Reply
  • Pokerface

    Liz-
    I was just kidding Cody. But seriously, what’s his point, he’s all over the map in his post?

    Reply
  • HolyGuano

    Reed? You’ve GOT to be kidding!

    Reply
  • Perry County Pete

    If Lincoln continues this wishy-washy mish-mash of pretending to be against health care right before she votes for it, AND if the Republican candidates can keep from eating each other alive in the primary, then ANY Republican can beat her.

    In my humble opinion, I think Baker has the best shot, despite the commentary above about the validity of the other candidates. Baker is very good at developing a sense of personal connection with his voters, he’s not a “vote-for-me-because-I’m-rich” kinda guy, and he’s conservative on the issues that conservatives care about.

    He’s running on his experience in the Arkansas Senate and the contagious energy he has to campaign non-stop until November 2nd. He brings no baggage to the race, and that will carry a lot of weight with common-man voters who simply can’t identify with wealthy business owners and company presidents.

    Reply
  • Henchman 24

    But Gilbert is the “vote-for-me-because-I-have-a-lot-of-money” kinda guy.

    He is running on the experience of being a career politician and the fear he can’t be governor in four years if he loses the primary.

    Reply
  • I believe this race will be between Jim Holt and Gilbert Baker. The rest of the field will start dropping out after January. I still say that Holt has the best shot and will win the nomination.

    Reply
  • Jim Holt and the 7 Dwarves

    My call: Jim Holt wins an eight man primary without a run-off. GOP primary voters will vote for the name they know (and have voted for in overwhelming numbers) over a crowd with single-digit approval ratings.

    None of the other guys even have a chance of winning without a run-off. A run-off means limping into the Summer divided and broke.

    Reply
  • And then let me introduce to you Sen. Bill Halter.

    Reply
  • carol

    And Jim Holt will promptly lose the general, as he has already done twice.

    Reply
  • Hypocrite Buster

    and I suppose that you opposed the candidacy of Asa Hutchinson for the same reason?

    Abe Lincoln lost seven times before he started winning. Sometimes a guy is a little ahead of the times and the population has to catch up. The Tea Party movement is tailor made for candidates like Holt.

    I’d like to see what he could do with the state and national party apparatus actually helping him like they do all those RINOs who are running off the grassroots.

    Reply
  • BiggestTaxIncreaseInARhstry Says

    Gilbert Baker and Kim Hendren voted for MEEEEEEEEEEE.

    Reply
  • Bobo99

    Y’all can put Holt down all day but he was top votegetter in 2006 — way ahead of the great Asa “Gilbert Baker” Hutchinson — and with no money or party support. Huckabee wouldn’t even endorse him!!!

    Reply
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