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Eldridge Aims to Unseat Boozman in Arkansas US Senate Race

5 min read

LITTLE ROCK – Republican Sen. John Boozman’s fight against Democratic challenger Conner Eldridge has drawn barely a fraction of the money and attention of the 2014 Senate race, when national groups and candidates bombarded Arkansas’ airwaves with ads.

This year’s race, which also features Libertarian nominee Frank Gilbert, isn’t widely viewed as a competitive for Democrats in a state that has become firmly GOP territory in recent years. And unlike Republican Tom Cotton’s rout of then-Democratic Sen. Mark Pryor in 2014 – which featured a flurry of TV ads for more than a year – Boozman and Eldridge have only begun airing spots over the past month.

Eldridge remains hopeful that there’s a path to victory. The 39-year-old former U.S. attorney for the Western District of Arkansas regularly compliments Boozman as a “nice man,” but follows that up by saying the incumbent lawmaker has done little for the state.

“He just sort of goes along to get along and hasn’t accomplished anything. That’s really the distinction in this race,” Eldridge said. “I got in this race because I believe in strongly, positively, aggressively trying to make a difference for all Arkansans every day.”

His 65-year-old Republican opponent regularly assails Eldridge for being an appointee of President Barack Obama, who remains deeply unpopular in the state, and says his rival is misrepresenting his record.

“I’m running on the issues and represent the conservative values the people of Arkansas have learned to expect: smaller government, fiscal responsibility, rebuilding our military, getting some confidence in our economy,” Boozman said.

Eldridge has criticized Boozman for his repeated votes to repeal the federal health overhaul, a move he says would leave more than 300,000 people on the state’s hybrid Medicaid expansion without coverage. Eldridge won’t say how he would’ve voted on the 2010 legislation, but doesn’t want to see it repealed and seeks changes such as an increase in the tax credit that small businesses receive for providing coverage.

“I don’t think we need to scrap the whole thing and go back to a day when 300,000 Arkansans didn’t have health insurance and depended on the emergency room and ultimately, for many, bankruptcy to get treated,” Eldridge said.

Boozman, however, said states could cover the uninsured through a block-grant system that would give them more freedom to spend federal dollars, and has called for what he calls “free market” reforms, like allowing people to purchase insurance across state lines.

“There’s nothing in the Obamacare bill to control costs,” Boozman said. “It’s more unaffordable than ever.”

The two also have tangled over the U.S. Supreme Court. Boozman has joined other Republicans in saying that the late Justice Antonin Scalia’s vacancy shouldn’t be filled by Obama, which has prompted Eldridge to accuse the lawmaker of not doing his constitutional duty.

Presidential politics play into the race as well, with Eldridge criticizing Boozman for not dropping his support of GOP nominee Donald Trump despite the billionaire’s controversial comments, including his lewd comments caught on tape in 2005 bragging about groping and kissing women without their consent. Boozman has condemned those comments and has likewise targeted Eldridge over his support of Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, citing questions about her use of a private email server as secretary of state.

Where They Stand

A look at where Boozman and Eldridge stand on several issues:

HEALTH CARE

Boozman opposed the Affordable Care Act and has repeatedly voted for its repeal. Eldridge won’t say whether he would have voted for the law, but opposes its repeal and has praised Arkansas’ hybrid Medicaid expansion. Boozman has said some of the people on the hybrid plan could still get coverage through a block-grant program if the Affordable Care Act is repealed. Eldridge has said he wants to see changes made to the federal overhaul, including an end to the medical device tax and increased tax credits for small businesses providing health coverage under the program.

CRIME/GUNS

Eldridge supports legislation that would let the federal government block many gun sales to known or suspected terrorists, while Boozman voted for a competing measure that would delay the sales for 72 hours but require a court order to block it permanently. Both proposals failed in the Senate earlier this year. Both Boozman and Eldridge oppose banning assault weapons.

SYRIAN REFUGEES

Eldridge and Boozman both called for a temporary stop of the U.S. accepting Syrian refugees in November, after the deadly attacks in Paris, which eventually were found not to have ties to Syrian refugees. Eldridge said he no longer thinks such a moratorium is necessary, while Boozman still supports the moratorium.

Both have said they disagree with Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s call to ban Muslims from entering the country. Eldridge has called for Congress to declare war on the Islamic State group, while Boozman says such a formal declaration isn’t necessary and the president already has the authority he needs.

TRADE

Eldridge opposes the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the agreement that President Barack Obama negotiated between the United States and 11 Pacific Rim countries. Boozman, who opposes it in its current form, says he wants to see changes made to the deal. Both support ending the United States’ embargo with Cuba.

MINIMUM WAGE

Eldridge supports raising the federal minimum wage, but has not said what the new minimum should be. Boozman opposes raising the federal minimum wage.

LGBT ISSUES

Eldridge has said he agreed with the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision last year legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide, while Boozman disagreed with it. Eldridge supports adding sexual orientation and gender identity to federal civil rights law, something that Boozman has opposed.

Both have said they disagree with the Obama administration’s directive that public schools must permit transgender students to use bathrooms and locker rooms consistent with their chosen gender identity.

ABORTION

Boozman opposes abortion except in cases of rape, incest and threat to the life of the mother. Eldridge says he personally opposes abortion and supports a woman’s right to choose, but also supports banning late-term abortions with exceptions for rape, incest and the life and health of the mother. Boozman voted for legislation banning abortion 20 weeks into a woman’s pregnancy, a restriction Eldridge opposes.

CAMPAIGN FINANCE

Eldridge supports the DISCLOSE Act, which would require all groups spending more than $10,000 on politics to disclose their donors. He also said he supports amending the U.S. Constitution to overturn the 2010 Supreme Court’s Citizens United ruling that opened the door for unlimited political spending by corporations, unions and other interest groups. Boozman opposes the DISCLOSE and said he agreed with the Citizens United decision.

(Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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