Mike Huckabee Touts French Hill in Heated #AR2 Race

CONWAY – Former Gov. Mike Huckabee touted the business background of fellow Republican French Hill on Monday, campaigning for the Little Rock banking executive’s bid for a central Arkansas congressional seat that Democrats believe they’re well positioned to reclaim.

Hill’s campaign, meanwhile, accused Democratic rival Pat Hays of trying to mislead voters on his gun rights record with an ad where the former North Little Rock mayor touts his membership in the National Rifle Association – a group backing Hill.

(More: Hays and Hill appeared on “THV 11 This Morning” today. Hays talked about his time as mayor of North Little Rock, and Hill talked about his political experience. Both touched on the Arkansas minimum wage.)

Hill and Hays are running for the 2nd Congressional District seat held by Republican Rep. Tim Griffin, who is running for lieutenant governor. Democrats believe the race is their best chance at reclaiming one of the state’s four Republican-held U.S. House seats.

Huckabee appeared to push back on TV ads targeting Hill.

“Any attack on the character or the integrity of French Hill is clearly being made by people who do not know this man like I know him and like many of you know him,” Huckabee said.

Hays has run ads criticizing Hill and his bank for campaign contributions to former state Treasurer Martha Shoffner, a Democrat who was convicted earlier this year of steering state investments to a bond broker who gave her cash. Hill and his bank, Delta Trust and Bank, were not involved in the case that led to Shoffner’s conviction. Hill has said Hays should apologize for the spots.

Hill, who planned to campaign with Huckabee in Searcy Tuesday, said his experience made him the best positioned to help the district’s economy.

“I’m running for Congress because we need someone who understands this economy in the Congress to speak for all of us who get up every day and go to work,” Hill said. “We need to get the wet blanket of the Obama administration’s tax and regulatory policies off the back of the free enterprise system.”

The rally organized by Hill’s campaign featured several other top Republicans, including U.S. Rep. Tom Cotton. Cotton is running against Democratic U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor in one of the most closely watched Senate races in the country.

Earlier Monday, Hill’s campaign said Hays’ spot touting his gun ownership was aimed at distracting voters from Hill receiving an endorsement from the NRA and Hays receiving an “F” rating from the group.

In response, Hays’ campaign cited a letter he received from the NRA earlier this year saying he had been nominated for the National Patriot’s Medal and praising his work on behalf of gun rights.

A spokesman for the NRA said the letter was a mass fundraising mailing that went to more than 5 million people.

“For Hays to knowingly misrepresent what he knows is a mass mailing as a personal endorsement is a flat out lie,” NRA spokesman Andrew Arulanandam said.

Arulanandam said the group is spending more than seven figures targeting Hays.

David Furr, Hays’ campaign manager, defended Hays’ background on gun rights.

“Mayor Hays is a longtime member of the NRA, has a concealed carry permit, owns a variety of firearms, cherishes the shotgun his daddy gave him and will be a strong protector of the right to keep and bear arms.”