Governor’s Race Heating Up

While the old verbal saying is “time flies…” nothing these past few weeks of political events have equaled the flurry of pronouncements about the 2014 Governor’s race.

Yes, there is almost two years to go before Arkansas voters head to the polls — first the primary polls and later in the General Election — to choose their own candidates in what will be a spirited race for an “open” governorship.

Incumbent Democrat Gov. Mike Beebe will finish his eight-year, two-term limited hold on the state’s chief executive suite in 2014.

There seems to be no clear line of Democratic succession for Beebe and his followers at this time.

The state’s lieutenant governor is, of course, Republican Mark Darr.

But there has never been a very clear line to succession up the state’s roll call of executive officers to the Governor’s Mansion.

History will also note that very few times has a term limited governor been followed by a lieutenant governor office holder. This might deter Lt. Gov. Darr? We do not know at this writing, what the sitting Darr will do.

He has been mum on future plans.

The sitting Attorney General Dustin McDaniel, a Democrat, is also term limited. As the State’s legal counsel, he looked strong as a candidate for the state’s top executive spot.

So firm was he, that he raised more than $1 million for a 2014 gubernatorial race.

But as we all know, an affair outside his marriage and a very, low hanging and heavy cloud of legal ethical issues, over a series with a female attorney in Central Arkansas caused him to drop out of the 2014 race in recent weeks.

He will return the $1 million in campaign contributions he has banked, McDaniel said in a prepared statement.

With McDaniel out and Lt. Gov. Darr mum on his 2014 plans, there is no other executive officer in state government prepped and ready for the Governor’s chair.

The four sitting in the executive suite wings are: the GOP duo of Secretary of State Mark Martin and Land Commissioner John Thurston. A pair of Democrats in the other executive offices include; State Auditor Charlie Daniels and Treasurer Martha Shoffner.

Attorney Asa Hutchinson has said he, again, will be seeking the GOP nomination and state-wide voter approval for governor. This will be his second time to try for this office.

In 2006, Hutchinson ran unopposed in the GOP gubernatorial primary, as did Beebe for the Democrats. In the November General Elections, Beebe defeated Hutchinson, 430,765 to 315,040.

Hutchinson sat out the next gubernatorial bout with Gov. Beebe in 2010.

In three separate statewide races, Hutchinson proved to be an unsuccessful candidate for the U.S. Senate, state’s attorney general and governor.

Hutchinson ran against Beebe for governor; in a 1986 race facing U.S. Senator Dale Bumpers’ re-election; and a 1990 “open-seat” race for the state’s attorney general post against Winston Bryant.

While Hutchinson, who hails from Gravette in Benton County, is considered a NW Arkansas Republican, rumors swirl that central Arkansas will also field a candidate for the GOP governor’s race.

Halter, too, folks will remember, said he was running for governor in 2006, only to pull back three months later to run (and win) the lieutenant governor’s spot. In 2010, he unsuccessfully battled U. S. Senator Blanche Lincoln Lambert, forcing her into a Democratic runoff, which he lost.

Halter is 1-1 in state wide races. Time will tell. Get your score cards ready voters. It could be a full field in 2014.