Conner Eldridge, rumored as a potential Democratic challenger for U.S. Sen. John Boozman in 2016, announced Tuesday that he will resign as U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas on Aug. 21.
Eldridge, who was appointed in 2010, did not address his future in the announcement. Arkansas Business reported Monday that his father-in-law, Arkadelphia businessman Ross Whipple, had been making calls telegraphing a run for the Senate.
Kenneth Elser, currently Eldridge’s First Assistant U.S. Attorney, will serve as acting U.S. Attorney upon Eldridge’s departure.
“I am extremely proud of the work we have done to make communities throughout Arkansas safer places to live,” Eldridge said in the written announcement. “We have focused on prosecuting those who bring crime and violence onto streets across our state, threaten our children, and defraud hard-working Arkansans. I am confident that work has made a difference.
“It has been a privilege to stand alongside law enforcement, prosecutors, and community leaders to confront crime and to work to make sure that we create an environment that gives all kids in our state a chance to succeed.”
Boozman, a former congressman from northwest Arkansas, defeated two-term Democratic U.S. Sen. Blanche Lincoln in the 2010 election.
Boozman announced last year that he planned to run for re-election, after he had emergency heart surgery. He reported having more than $872,000 in the bank for his re-election bid last month. Filing for office begins in November.
(The Associated Press contributed to this story.)
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