Some other encouraging news:
http://atr.rollcall.com/...
A new poll conducted for the Arkansas Democratic Party found Sen. Mark Pryor and his Republican challenger still locked in a tight race.
In the survey, obtained by CQ Roll Call, Pryor led Rep. Tom Cotton, 45 percent to 42 percent, with Libertarian and Green Party candidates taking a combined 5 percent and 9 percent undecided.
Democratic polls have consistently shown Pryor with small leads in recent months, which is counter to most public and GOP polling that has come out. But a USA Today/Suffolk poll taken in mid-September found Pryor up 2 points.
Opinion Research Associates polled 400 likely voters Oct. 1-5. The survey’s margin of error was 5 points, and likely voters were screened based on past election participation. - Roll Call, 10/8/14
They also tested the Arkansas Governor's race and they give Mike Ross (D. AR) a four point lead over Asa Hutchinson (R. AR), 45-41. This is encouraging but of course I'd like to see another poll to back this up. Of course Fox News put out their poll and it should be no surprise that they find Cotton leading:
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/...
A new poll finds that Republican Tom Cotton has extended his lead over Democratic Sen. Mark Pryor in the closely-watched Arkansas Senate race.
Cotton leads by 7 points among likely voters — 46 percent to Pryor's 39 percent — according to a Fox News poll conducted Oct. 4-7 by the Democratic firm Anderson Robbins Research and the Republican firm Shaw & Company Research. (Ten percent said they didn't know.)
The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points. - TPM, 10/9/14
I'll wait for a more credible pollster than Fox News. But I don't even think Cotton believes he has this race all wrapped up. Hence why he's resorted to this type of fear-mongering:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/...
There’s been a ton of chatter to the effect that Republicans are on offense against Democrats on immigration and national security alike. Yet to convert these issues into political gain, some Republicans apparently believe they need to go to extraordinary lengths to conflate terrorism and illegal immigration into one giant, terrifying, hydra-headed threat to the country.
Exhibit A: GOP Rep. Tom Cotton, who is running for Senate in Arkansas. The Congressman told a tele-town-hall meeting that the Islamic State is actively working with Mexican drug cartels who are looking to expand into the terrorism business — and that the groups, working in tandem, could infiltrate the country and attack people in Arkansas.
On audio of the town-hall, which was recorded by Arkansas Democrats, the key moment comes at around the 10:50 mark. Cotton was asked by a voter why the children crossing the border were allowed to stay for months (presumably while awaiting a court date). Cotton launched into a long answer about amnesty and the need to build a border fence, and added (emphasis mine):
“The problem is with Mark Pryor and Barack Obama refusing to enforce our immigration laws, and refusing to secure our border. I’ll change that when I’m in the United States Senate. And I would add, it’s not just an immigration problem. We now know that it’s a security problem. Groups like the Islamic State collaborate with drug cartels in Mexico who have clearly shown they’re willing to expand outside the drug trade into human trafficking and potentially even terrorism.
“They could infiltrate our defenseless border and attack us right here in places like Arkansas. This is an urgent problem and it’s time we got serious about it, and I’ll be serious about it in the United States Senate.” - Washington Post, 10/7/14
All of these claims have been debunked and Cotton has been called out for his lies. But it remains to be seen if any of that matters. But I don't think these races are over. Click here to donate and get involved with Pryor and Ross' campaigns:
https://pryorforsenatesec.ngpvanhost.com/...
http://www.mikeross.com/