Democrats seeking the state's top offices said Saturday that they want to work to improve the plight of working families, and their state convention adopted a party platform advocating measures aimed at doing that.
Delegates at the Democratic Party of Arkansas' state convention in Little Rock adopted a party platform Saturday that calls for raising the state's minimum wage from $6.25 to $8.50 per hour by 2017. The 12-page document also calls for continued funding of the state's private option program using federal funds to purchase private health insurance for low-income Arkansans.
The party's platform, which is similar to the version passed in 2012, says all 4-year-olds should have access to pre-kindergarten programs. It also opposes the state's voter-ID law enacted in 2013.
Democratic Party of Arkansas leaders urged the convention's delegates to do all that they can to re-elect U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor, keep control of the governor's office and elect other Democrats across the state.
During the 2010 and 2012 elections, Arkansas Republicans made historic gains in state and federal offices in Arkansas in part by linking state Democrats to President Barack Obama. Many Arkansas Democratic candidates have distanced themselves from Obama and the party's national leadership.
Former Democratic U.S. Sen. David Pryor said historians are going to write that this year's election "was probably the most important political, governmental decision that the people of Arkansas have ever had to make," and "they will write that the Democrats won.
"Never before have we seen such a few people, a handful of people, who think [and] truly believe in their heart that they can come down to this state and buy Arkansas," said David Pryor, who is also a former governor. "It's not for sale."
Mark Pryor of Little Rock, who is being challenged by Republican 4th District U.S. Rep. Tom Cotton of Dardanelle, said outside groups called super PACS have now spent $18 million "trying to boot me out of the Senate."
"They know me, and one thing they understand about Mark Pryor is I don't listen to them. I listen to you," he told about 600 people attending the party's state convention.
"They have their man in this race, and he's going to do their bidding for 'em and they know that if he gets in, so we got to do everything in our power to keep that from happening," the senator said. "If our people vote, we win. It's that simple."
He said he's confident a proposed initiated act raising the state's minimum wage from $6.25 to $8.50 an hour by 2017 will get on the Nov. 4 ballot to raise pay for 170,000 workers.
Pryor said he hopes it boosts voter turnout.
"The more people who vote, the better it is for the state of Arkansas, the better it is for all the Democrats," Pryor said. "So people in south Arkansas, if they get out and vote for [4th congressional District candidate] James Lee Witt, that is going to help [Democratic gubernatorial candidate] Mike Ross, and all the way around. All of these races are interconnected."
Cotton spokesman David Ray said that "the only candidate in this race that is beholden to anyone is Senator Pryor, who has rubber-stamped President Obama's agenda over 90% of the time.
"On Obamacare, immigration, and out-of-control spending, President Obama has no bigger ally in Arkansas than Senator Pryor," Ray said in a written statement.
Ross of Little Rock, a former 4th District Democratic congressman, is vying with a former 3rd District Republican congressman, Asa Hutchinson of Rogers, to succeed Democratic Gov. Mike Beebe in the Nov. 4 general election. Beebe is barred from seeking re-election under the state's term-limits amendment.
Witt, a Dardanelle Democrat, is taking on state Rep. Bruce Westerman, a Hot Springs Republican, to succeed Cotton.
Ross said he wants to expand the state's pre-kindergarten program because there should be a classroom desk for a 4-year-old, whose parents want their child in a pre-kindergarten classroom, "regardless of your income and regardless of your ZIP code."
"Elections have consequences, and the differences could not be greater between Congressman Hutchinson and me," he said.
Ross said he would protect the private option as the state's governor. Hutchinson has said he'll review the private option program's progress and costs to decide whether he'll support its reauthorization.
The expansion of Arkansas' Medicaid program, authorized by the federal government and approved by the state Legislature last year, extended eligibility to adults with incomes of up to 138 percent of the poverty level -- $15,860 for an individual or $32,500 for a family of four.
More than 160,000 Arkansans have enrolled in private health insurance through the private option program. Coverage started Jan. 1.
"Congressman Hutchinson doesn't want working families to have a pay raise, he doesn't want to give 'em a tax cut, he doesn't want 'em to have health insurance, and he doesn't want their children to go to pre-k," Ross said.
"I think Congressman Hutchinson has spent way too much time in boardrooms and courtrooms and not enough time in living rooms and break rooms," he said.
Hutchinson later said that while Ross "was attacking me, I was spending my time meeting with teachers, working with them to help solve real problems facing our state, including improving education."
"While Mike Ross tries to tear down, I am working to build Arkansas's future," Hutchinson said in a written statement after he announced the formation of a teachers coalition. "While Mr. Ross tries to divide, I want to provide more opportunity for all Arkansans to learn a trade, make higher wages and have affordable health care that is not dictated by the federal government."
Hutchinson, who opposes the proposed initiated act to raise the state's minimum wage, has said he wants the Legislature to increase the state's minimum wage to at least the federal minimum of $7.25 an hour instead.
At Saturday's meeting, Democrats said they're going to work to regain ground lost in 2012, when Republicans -- for the first time since Reconstruction -- won control of the state Legislature.
The state Senate is made up of 21 Republicans and 13 Democrats with one seat vacant.
The state House of Representatives is composed of 51 Republicans, 48 Democrats and one Green Party member.
"We made it our mission to not just elect our candidates but to take back the state House of Representatives, and by God we are going to do it," said state party Chairman Vince Insalaco of North Little Rock.
Metro on 08/24/2014