United States Senate elections in Arkansas, 2014

U.S. Senate, Arkansas General Election, 2014

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Tom Cotton	56.5%	478,819
	Democratic	Mark Pryor Incumbent	39.5%	334,174
	Libertarian	Nathan LaFrance	2%	17,210
	Green	Mark Swaney	2%	16,797
Total Votes				847,000
Source: Arkansas Secretary of State

2014 U.S. Senate Elections in Arkansas

General Election Date November 4, 2014

Primary Date May 20, 2014

November 4 Election Winner: Tom Cotton

Incumbent prior to election: Mark Pryor

Race Ratings Cook Political Report: Toss Up Sabato's Crystal Ball: Toss Up

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2014 U.S. House Elections

Voters in Arkansas elected one member to the U.S. Senate in the election on November 4, 2014.

The battle for Arkansas' Senate seat was widely recognized as one of the most contested races in a year when control of Congress' upper chamber was on the line. Sen. Mark Pryor (D), who was labeled 2014's most vulnerable incumbent, was defeated by freshman U.S. Rep. Tom Cotton (R) in a nail-biting race.

Heading into the election, both Cook Political Report and Sabato's Crystal Ball ranked the race as a "toss up". Additionally, FiscalTimes listed it as one of the seven most vulnerable seats in the country, while The Washington Post included it on their list of the top 10 races to watch in 2014. The race attracted over $25 million in satellite spending, with an additional $16 million raised by the two candidates.

Pryor, who ran for re-election uncontested by a major-party candidate in 2008, found his popularity slipping in a state that had been growing increasingly red with each passing year. In 2002, when Pryor was first elected to the Senate, the Arkansas General Assembly comprised 97 Democrats and 30 Republicans. Heading into the 2014 election, the state's governing body consisted of 61 Democrats and 73 Republicans. Meanwhile, Cotton, who was the second Republican to represent Arkansas' 4th District since Reconstruction, rapidly ascended the political ladder, riding the wave of intense disapproval of President Obama within the state.

Pryor was the last remaining Democratic member of Arkansas' congressional delegation. His defeat left the entire delegation in Republican control. This marks a significant reversal in the political landscape of just four years ago. Heading into the 2010 election, Democrats controlled five of the six congressional seats from Arkansas. As a result of the midterm election, Republicans gained two seats in the House and one in the Senate. Republicans then easily picked up the last U.S. House seat following Rep. Mike Ross' (D) retirement in 2012.

Heading into the election, polling showed Cotton with a distinct advantage over Pryor. However, Pryor led the challenger in cash-on-hand throughout the race.

Candidate Filing Deadline	Primary Election	General Election
March 3, 2014	May 20, 2014	November 4, 2014

Primary: A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Arkansas utilizes an open primary system. Registered voters do not have to be members of a party to vote in that party's primary.

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

Voter registration: To vote in the primary, voters had to register to vote by April 20, 2014. For the general election, the voter registration deadline was October 5, 2014.

See also: Arkansas elections, 2014

Incumbent: The election filled the Senate seat formerly held by Mark Pryor (D). Pryor was first elected in 2002 and unsuccessfully ran for re-election in 2014.

Candidates

General election candidates

Mark Pryor

Tom Cotton

Nathan LaFrance

Mark Swaney

May 20, 2014, primary results

Democratic Primary

• Mark Pryor - Incumbent a

Republican Primary

• Tom Cotton - U.S. Rep. a

Libertarian Convention

• Nathan LaFrance a

Green Party Convention

• Mark Swaney a

Election results

U.S. Senate, Arkansas General Election, 2014

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Tom Cotton	56.5%	478,819
	Democratic	Mark Pryor Incumbent	39.5%	334,174
	Libertarian	Nathan LaFrance	2%	17,210
	Green	Mark Swaney	2%	16,797
Total Votes				847,000
Source: Arkansas Secretary of State

Race background

The Senate seat in question was held by Mark Pryor, a Democrat in a red state. It was considered one of the most vulnerable in the country, as the state had become increasingly Republican since Bill Clinton was governor, voting for George W. Bush, John McCain and Mitt Romney in the last three presidential elections, giving Pryor's opponent, Tom Cotton, an advantage. Pryor's seat was also the last remaining seat held by a Democrat in the state's congressional delegation.

Mark Pryor

The son of former governor and Senator, David Pryor, Mark Pryor spent the majority of his career in politics. After receiving his bachelor's and law degrees from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, he went on to work as a private practice attorney for approximately three years before being elected to the Arkansas House of Representatives in 1990. From there, Pryor went on to serve as attorney general from 1998 through 2002 before he was elected to his position in the U.S. Senate, the same seat his father held from 1979 through 1997.

Considered a moderate Democrat, Pryor had enjoyed popularity among voters, even as the state grew increasingly more Republican. He won all but four counties in his bid for Arkansas Attorney General in 1998 and ran uncontested by any major-party candidates - his only opponent was Green Party candidate Rebekah Kennedy - when he sought re-election to the Senate in 2008. Come 2014, however, Arkansas' political landscape had evolved, and Pryor faced a different and more challenging re-election campaign than he did six years earlier. He was the sole Democrat in Arkansas' congressional delegation, his peers having been replaced by Republicans in previous elections. One of Pryor's biggest challenges in the election was distancing himself from the President, who had seen dismal approval ratings in the state - a mere 34.9 percent of residents approved of the president as of January 2014 - and his signature healthcare bill, which was equally unpopular among Arkansans.

Tom Cotton

After completing his undergraduate studies at Harvard, Cotton moved on to the university's law school. It was during his final year there that the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks occurred, prompting Cotton, whose father was a Vietnam veteran, to enlist in the Army after a brief stint as a clerk with the U.S. Court of Appeals and a short time in private law practice. Cotton saw active duty in both Iraq and Afghanistan during his nearly five-year service in the army. He was honorably discharged in 2009 after being awarded several medals and honors, including the Bronze Star, the Combat Infantry Badge and the Ranger Tab. After completing his military service, Cotton worked as a consultant for McKinsey and Company before being elected to Arkansas' 4th congressional district in 2012.

Debate

On April 13, 2014, Cotton called for a series of five debates with Pryor. He proposed holding debates in five different regions of Arkansas without moderators asking questions. Cotton said, "There used to be a time in our politics when voters could look the two candidates in the eye and hear from them directly — that's what I'm inviting Senator Pryor to participate in today." Pryor's campaign issued the following response, "Mark looks forward to debating Congressman Cotton at the appropriate time."

Voting trends in Arkansas

Party strength by county, 2002 - 2012

Pryor's vulnerability stemmed primarily from Arkansas' steadily increasing Republican lean in the past decade. This trend can be seen in the previous three presidential elections, as well as other congressional and state elections. Mitt Romney won the state with just over 60 percent of the general election vote in 2012, compared to John McCain's 58.72 percent in 2008. Prior to that, George W. Bush secured re-election in 2004 with just over 54 percent of the vote. Since the 2002 general election, 14 counties consistently voted for Republican candidates, with nine counties consistently voting for Democrats, in the following races:

• 2002 U.S. Senate race
• 2004 presidential race
• 2006 governor race
• 2008 presidential race
• 2010 U.S. Senate race
• 2012 presidential race

During approximately the same time period, the population of the 14 "Republican" counties grew by over 143,000 people. Conversely, the population of the nine "Democratic" counties increased by only 421 people, indicating that population shifts favored Republican candidates.

Some were quick to cite similarities between Pryor's re-election campaign and that of fellow Democrat Blanche Lincoln for the 2010 mid-term elections. Lincoln, the youngest woman ever elected to the Senate and the first one from Arkansas since 1932, embarked on what seemed to be a solid re-election campaign for the seat she'd held since 1998. Despite previous popularity among voters, strong name recognition and a moderate voting record, Lincoln lost to Republican John Boozman by 21 points. Others said Pryor was more proactive with his campaign, responding to ads much earlier than Lincoln did.

Race ratings

Heading into the election, both Cook Political Report and Sabato's Crystal Ball ranked the race as a "toss up".

Most vulnerable seats

The FiscalTimes compiled a list of the seven most vulnerable Senate seats up for election in 2014. The seven included in the list were: Alaska, Arkansas, Iowa, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Dakota and West Virginia. Going into the 2014 election, all seven seats were held by Democrats.

Washington Post top 10 races

According to an analysis by The Washington Post, the U.S. Senate election in Arkansas was considered one of the top 10 Senate races of 2014. Pryor remained one of the most vulnerable Democratic incumbents up for re-election.

Ideology

Mark Pryor

Sen. Mark Pryor

Based on the following analyses by outside groups, Pryor ranked among the least liberal Democratic members of the U.S. Senate.

GovTrack

See also: GovTrack's Political Spectrum & Legislative Leadership ranking

Based on an analysis of bill sponsorship by GovTrack, Pryor was a "centrist Democrat," as of July 2014. He received the same rating in June 2013.

Vote ratings

See also: National Journal vote ratings

Each year, National Journal publishes an analysis of how liberally or conservatively each member of Congress voted in the previous year. Click the link above for the full ratings of all members of Congress.

Pryor ranked 47th in the conservative rankings among U.S. senators in 2013. Despite being a Democrat, Pryor ranked higher in the conservative rankings than he did in the liberal rankings.

Voting with party

The website OpenCongress tracks how often members of Congress vote with the majority of the chamber caucus.

Pryor voted with the Democratic Party 78.3 percent of the time, which ranked 50th among the 53 Senate Democratic members as of July 2014.

Tom Cotton

Rep. Tom Cotton

Based on the following analyses by outside groups, Cotton ranked as a fairly average Republican member of the U.S. House.

GovTrack

See also: GovTrack's Political Spectrum & Legislative Leadership ranking

Based on an analysis of bill sponsorship by GovTrack, Cotton was a moderate Republican follower as of July 2014. In June 2013, Cotton was rated as a "rank-and-file Republican."

Vote ratings

See also: National Journal vote ratings

Each year National Journal publishes an analysis of how liberally or conservatively each member of Congress voted in the previous year. Click the link above for the full ratings of all members of Congress.

Cotton ranked 138th in the conservative rankings in 2013.

Voting with party

The website OpenCongress tracks how often members of Congress vote with the majority of the chamber caucus.

Cotton voted with the Republican Party 94.7 percent of the time, which ranked 98th among the 234 House Republican members as of July 2014.

Issues

See also: Energy and the 2014 election: the ballots and beyond

Obamacare

Mark Pryor

In addition to voting for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Pryor supported the law following its implementation, while admitting it could be better. He made the following statements regarding Obamacare:

• April 3, 2014: When asked if he would vote for the law again, after seeing its many problems, Pryor responded "You know I would have. I think on something like this it’s big, it’s complicated, it’s difficult, so if you get 80 percent of it right you’ve really done something. We probably did get 80 percent of it right."

• June 13, 2014: Pryor admitted that the law is not perfect and that he would "work to make it better." He also said, "When I talk to my Republican friends about it I say, give me something better and I’ll vote for it."

Tom Cotton

Cotton favored repeal of Obamacare and made the following statements regarding the law:

• June 4, 2014: In a post on his campaign website, Cotton said the following regarding the law: "Millions of American’s policies were cancelled because of ObamaCare, and those same Americans were then forced to pay MORE for health insurance! However, ObamaCare is hurting more than just our health care system, it’s forcing businesses to cut back on the number of employees they hire and the number of hours those employes work."

• August 8, 2014: After Gallup released a survey revealing that Arkansas had the greatest drop in uninsured from 2013 to mid-2014 of all 50 states, Cotton responded "I haven’t seen that poll. But the thing about Obamacare is, it no doubt helped some people. But think about all the people it hurt and the ways it hurt them. It caused people to have insurance cancelled. It drove up the cost of their health insurance premiums or it cost them access to their doctor or imposed new taxes it caused them to lose their job or have their hours cut…we should repeal Obamacare and start over."

Hobby Lobby ruling

After being asked about the Supreme Court's ruling in the Hobby Lobby case, Cotton responded, "It's another example of how Obamacare infringes on the liberties of all Arkansans. Barack Obama and Mark Pryor think that faith is something that only happens at 11:00 on Sunday mornings. That's when we worship but faith is what we live every single day. And the government shouldn't infringe on the rights of religious liberty. So I'm pleased with the Supreme Court's ruling but it's just another example of why Obamacare is bad for Arkansas."

Pryor responded to the statement with his own saying, "I’m disappointed in Congressman Cotton’s deeply personal attack on me. He and I may disagree on issues, but for him to question my faith is out of bounds. From a young age I have never shied away from talking about the importance of God in my life, and it’s my Christian faith that gives me comfort and guidance to be a steady voice for Arkansas in the Senate."

Cotton then sent the following statement to The Hill, "Senator Pryor is a man of faith, which I respect. That's why it's so disappointing that Senator Pryor still defends Obamacare even after the Supreme Court said it violated freedom of religion. Senator Pryor supports taxpayer funding for abortion and would force Christians to pay for abortions despite their deeply held religious beliefs. That's a real attack on faith."

Food stamps

Cotton had the following to say about food stamps: "I don’t think that we should be using farmers as a way to pack more welfare spending into Barack Obama’s government. Nor should we have a food stamp program that isn’t reformed, that doesn’t have job training and work requirements, that doesn't have drug testing requirements, so we can get people who are addicted the help they need. Or make sure that long-term addicts or recidivists are not abusing taxpayer dollars."

ISIS insurgency in Iraq

See also: ISIS insurgency in Iraq and Syria

Mark Pryor

Pryor responded to U.S. airstrikes against ISIS militants in Iraq in early August 2014 with the following statement: "I am concerned that this could escalate and lead to heavier military involvement for the U.S. I think that if it's going to go that direction the president should confer with congress. We need to have clearly defined goals." Pryor also said that he thought the humanitarian aid to the region made sense.

Tom Cotton

Cotton said in a statement on July 1, 2014, "ISIS may be a greater danger today to Iraq than Al-Qaeda was on Sept. 10, 2001." He also called ISIS the "most well-armed and well-funded terrorist group in history." Cotton blamed the resurgence of ISIS on the president's decision to withdraw all troops from Iraq in 2011. He said, "I think this is a direct result of the President’s very short-sighted decision to disregard his generals’ advice in 2011 to withdraw every single troop – these troops were not going to be trigger-pullers, they weren’t going to be out on the front line fighting the fight – these were planners and truckers, logistics experts and intelligence experts that would help provide a degree of professionalism to the Iraqi security forces."

President Obama

Due to the overall unpopularity of the president and Obamacare specifically, many vulnerable Democrats, including Pryor, tried to distance themselves from President Obama. Pryor made the following remark on the issue in August 2013. "I think that President Obama has in some ways what you would think of as a hard-left agenda in various ways, and that agenda is not popular in our state. And a lot of that agenda I don’t support." He further added that Obama "doesn't connect well" with Arkansas. The president only visited the state of Arkansas once since becoming president. The reason for his first trip, which occurred in May of 2014, was to visit with residents affected by a devastating tornado that left significant damage and 15 dead people in its wake. As of May 2013, Obama's approval rating was just 34 percent in the state.

Key votes

Below are important votes that Pryor and Cotton cast during the 113th Congress.

Obama administration lawsuit

See also: Boehner's lawsuit against the Obama administration

On July 30, 2014, the U.S. House approved a resolution 225 to 201 to sue President Barack Obama for exceeding his constitutional authority. No Democrats voted in favor of the resolution.

Tom Cotton

Five Republicans--Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Paul Broun of Georgia, Scott Garrett of New Jersey, Walter Jones of North Carolina and Steve Stockman of Texas-- voted with Democrats against the lawsuit. Cotton joined the other 224 Republicans in favor of the lawsuit.

Government shutdown

See also: United States budget debate, 2013

Mark Pryor

During the shutdown in October 2013, the Senate rejected, down party lines, every House-originated bill that stripped the budget of funding for the Affordable Care Act. A deal was reached late on October 16, 2013, just hours before the debt ceiling deadline. The bill to reopen the government, H.R. 2775, lifted the $16.7 trillion debt limit and funded the government through January 15, 2014. Federal employees also received retroactive pay for the shutdown period. The only concession made by Senate Democrats was to require income verification for Obamacare subsidies. The final vote on H.R. 2775 was 81-18, with all 18 votes against the bill from Republican members. Mark Pryor voted with the Democratic Party for the bill.

Tom Cotton

On September 30, 2013, the House passed a final stopgap spending bill before the shutdown went into effect. The bill included a one-year delay of the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate and would have also stripped the bill of federal subsidies for congressional members and staff. It passed through the House with a vote of 228-201. At 1 a.m. on October 1, 2013, one hour after the shutdown officially began, the House voted to move forward with going to a conference. In short order, Sen. Harry Reid rejected the call to conference. Cotton voted to approve the stopgap spending bill that would have delayed the individual mandate.

The shutdown finally ended on October 16, 2013, when the House took a vote on HR 2775 after it was approved by the Senate. The bill to reopen the government lifted the $16.7 trillion debt limit and funded the government through January 15, 2014. Federal employees also received retroactive pay for the shutdown period. The only concession made by Senate Democrats was to require income verification for Obamacare subsidies. The House passed the legislation shortly after the Senate, by a vote of 285-144, with all 144 votes against the legislation coming from Republican members. Cotton voted for HR 2775.

Cotton declined to accept his salary while the government was shutdown.

Obamacare

Mark Pryor

Pryor voted in favor of H.R. 3590 (The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act). The bill passed the Senate 60-39 on December 24, 2009.

Tom Cotton

While Cotton was not in office at the time of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act's passage, he has voted with the Republican Party in many of their numerous attempts to repeal, alter or delay the implementation of Obamacare.

Endorsements

Tom Cotton

• Cotton was endorsed by the National Federation of Independent Businesses. NFIB Vice President Lisa Goeas said, "Our members support the members of Congress who support small business, and Congressman Cotton’s record speaks for itself."

• Former presidential candidate Mitt Romney (R) endorsed Cotton, saying, "By electing Tom Cotton you are going to see a different direction in America. I don't think the president or Harry Reed understand what it takes to get this economy going and get people back to work. They've had their chance for the last six years and their recovery has just not done the job for the people of Arkansas."

Polls

Mark Pryor vs. Tom Cotton (October 2014-Present)
Poll	Mark Pryor	Tom Cotton	Other/Undecided	Margin of Error	Sample Size
Public Policy Polling (October 30-November 1, 2014)	41%	49%	10%	+/-3	1,092
Opinion Research Associates - for the AR Dem. Party (October 25-26, 2014)	44%	43%	13%	+/-5	401
Marist (October 24, 2014)	43%	45%	12%	+/-3.9	621
Talk Business & Politics and Hendrix College (October 15-16, 2014)	41%	49%	10%	+/-2.2	2,075
Rasmussen Reports (October 13-15, 2014)	44%	47%	9%	+/-3	940
Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org

Mark Pryor vs. Tom Cotton (July-October 2014)
Poll	Mark Pryor	Tom Cotton	Other/Undecided	Margin of Error	Sample Size
Fox News Poll (October 4-7, 2014)	39%	46%	15%	+/-3.5	706
Opinion Research Associates (October 1-5, 2014)	45%	42%	14%	+/-5	400
Rasmussen Reports (September 24-25, 2014)	40%	47%	13%	+/-4	750
Suffolk University (September 20-23, 2014)	45%	43%	12%	+/-4.4	500
Public Policy Polling (September 18-21, 2014)	38%	43%	19%	+/-2.6	1,453
Hickman Analytics, Inc. (September 13-18, 2014)	46%	43%	11%	+/-3.5	801
Answers Unlimited - conducted for Southern Progress (September 7-9, 2014)	46%	42%	12%	+/-3.5	600
Marist (September 2014)	40%	45%	15%	+/-3.9	639
CNN/ORC International (Likely voters, August 28-September 2, 2014)	47%	49%	4%	+/-4.5	523
Opinion Research - for the AR Dem. Party (August 6-14, 2014)	46%	41%	13%	+/-4.9	414
Public Policy Polling (August 1-3, 2014)	39%	41%	21%	+/-3	1,066
Anzalone Liszt Grove Research (July 20-24, 2014)	48%	46%	6%	+/-4	600
Talk Business Research and Hendrix College (July 22-25, 2014)	42%	44%	14%	+/-2.3	1,780
Harstad Strategies for Mark Pryor (July 7-10, 2014)	45%	39%	5%	+/-3.5	807
Gravis Marketing (July 8-9, 2014)	44%	51%	5%	+/-3	987
Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org

Mark Pryor vs. Tom Cotton (2013-June 2014)
Poll	Mark Pryor	Tom Cotton	Other/Undecided	Margin of Error	Sample Size
OnMessage Inc. (May 6-8, 2014)	40%	42%	12%	+/-4	600
Marist Poll (May 2014)	51%	40%	9%	+/-3.3	876
Public Policy Polling (April 25-27, 2014)	43%	42%	16%	+/-3.4	840
Harper Polling (April 9-10, 2014)	39%	39%	22%	+/-4.3	522
Talk Business Research and Hendrix College (April 3-4, 2014)	45.5%	42.5%	8%	+/-3	1,068
Anzalone Liszt Grove Research (March 27-April 2, 2014)	48%	45%	7%	+/-4	600
Impact Management Group (February 12, 2014)	42%	46%	12%	+/-2.83	1,202
Rasmussen Reports (February 4-5, 2014)	40%	45%	10%	+/-4.5	500
Public Policy Polling (December 13-15, 2013)	44%	44%	12%	+/-3.1	1,004
Inc./WomanTrend. (December 6-7, 2013)	41%	48%	11%	+/-4.9	400
Harper Polling (September 24-26, 2013)	45%	42%	13%	+/-3.93	622
Conservative Intel (August 4-5, 2013)	41%	43%	16%	+/-4.04	587
AFSCME (July 23-27, 2013)	43%	35%	21%	+/-4	729
Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org

Campaign contributions

Candidate ballot access
Find detailed information on ballot access requirements in all 50 states and Washington, D.C.

July 2014

Pryor maintained a fundraising edge over challenger Cotton as of the FEC's July Quarterly reports. Pryor raised a grand total of $8,045,495 as of July and had $4,084,701 remaining cash on hand. Cotton raised a total of $7,096,954 and was left with $2,756,607 on hand.

Mark Pryor

Mark Pryor (2014) Campaign Finance Reports
Report	Date Filed	Beginning Balance	Total Contributions for Reporting Period	Expenditures	Cash on Hand
April Quarterly	April 18, 2013	$1,734,136.82	$1,923,657.71	$(239,097.21)	$3,418,697.32
July Quarterly	July 15, 2013	$3,418,697.32	$1,204,480.45	$(701,907.90)	$3,921,269.87
October Quarterly	October 15, 2013	$3,921,269.87	$1,067,818.04	$(570,319.18)	$4,418,768.73
Year-End	January 31, 2014	$4,418,768	$1,115,829	$(1,325,311)	$4,209,286
April Quarterly	April 22, 2014	$4,209,286	$1,222,859	$(1,006,397)	$4,425,748
Pre-Primary	May 8, 2014	$4,425,748	$337,409	$(615,550)	$4,147,607
July Quarterly	July 15, 2014	$4,147,607	$1,173,442	$(1,236,348)	$4,084,701
October Quarterly	October 15, 2014	$4,084,701	$2,226,678	$(5,294,822)	$1,016,557
Pre-General	October 23, 2014	$1,016,557	$478,883	$(1,130,787)	$364,653
			Running totals
			$10,751,056.2	$(12,120,539.29)

Tom Cotton

Tom Cotton (2014) Campaign Finance Reports
Report	Date Filed	Beginning Balance	Total Contributions for Reporting Period	Expenditures	Cash on Hand
April Quarterly	April 15, 2013	$118,350	$526,515	$(84,386)	$560,479
July Quarterly	July 15, 2013	$560,479	$611,341	$(126,448)	$1,045,372
October Quarterly	October 14, 2013	$1,045,372	$1,071,561	$(311,696)	$1,805,237
Year-End	January 31, 2014	$1,805,237	$1,241,256	$(815,700)	$2,231,063
April Quarterly	April 15, 2014	$2,231,063	$1,358,200	$(868,433)	$2,720,830
Pre-Primary	May 8, 2014	$2,720,830	$571,090	$(927,883)	$2,364,036
July Quarterly	July 15, 2014	$2,364,036	$1,716,991	$(1,324,421)	$2,756,607
October Quarterly	October 15, 2014	$2,756,607	$3,884,516	$(3,740,924)	$2,900,200
Pre-General	October 23, 2014	$2,900,200	$985,591	$(2,000,356)	$1,885,435
			Running totals
			$11,967,061	$(10,200,247)

Satellite spending

As of October 2014, over $25 million had entered this race from outside sources. Of this money, $230,884 went to supporting Pryor, while $8,041,623 was spent opposing him. On the other side of the aisle, $5,623,943 was spent in support of Cotton and $11,443,771 was spent in opposition of him.

Mark Pryor

The largest spenders either in support of Pryor or opposition to Cotton are listed below.

• Senate Majority PAC - $4,228,197
• Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) - 3,490,163
• Patriot Majority USA - $3,011,168
• NEA Advocacy Fund - $490,000
• International Association of Fire Fighters - $215,663

Tom Cotton

The largest spenders either in support of Cotton or opposition to Pryor are listed below.

• National Rifle Association - 2,577,397
• American Crossroads - $1,995,573
• Crossroads GPS - $1,661,769
• Freedom Partners Action Fund - $1,550,358
• National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) - $1,432,443
• Government Integrity Fund Action Network - $1,047,880
• Emergency Committee for Israel - $960,250
• Club for Growth Action - $722,497
• Senate Conservatives Action - $319,796
• John Bolton Super PAC - $299,631
• NRA Institute for Legislative Action - $260,660

Media

Mark Pryor

Pryor for Senate

On August 26, 2014, Pryor's campaign released an ad featuring clips from various news sources about the Ebola outbreak. The ad accused Cotton of voting against funding to protect the U.S. from pandemics outbreaks like Ebola.

Pryor for Senate - "Emergency Response"

Pryor's campaign released the following six ads. The ads primarily criticized Cotton's voting record on social issues and Medicare.

August 2013 ad criticizing Tom Cotton's voting record

Ad criticizing Tom Cotton for campaigning instead of doing his job

Pryor for Senate campaign ad focused on Pryor's faith

Ad criticizing Cotton's record on Medicare

Ad criticizing Cotton's record on Medicare

Ad defending Pryor's vote for Obamacare

Americans United

Americans United For Change released the following ad criticizing Cotton for supporting big banks over homeowners.

Patriot Majority USA

Patriot Majority USA released the following two ads criticizing Tom Cotton's voting record and support of big business.

Ad criticizing Cotton's voting record on the Farm Bill and Medicare

Ad criticizing Cotton for supporting corporate interests over Arkansans'

Senate Majority PAC

Senate Majority PAC released the following two ads calling Cotton "a politician we just can't trust."

Senate Majority PAC ad criticizing Tom Cotton for supporting corporate interests over seniors

Senate Majority PAC ad criticizing Tom Cotton's voting record on Medicare

NEA Advocacy Fund

NEA Advocacy Fund released the following ad opposing Cotton for wanting to end federal student loan programs, despite using the loans himself when he attended Harvard.

DSCC

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee launched a $3.6 million ad buy in August 2014. The first ad highlighted the fact that Cotton was the only member of Congress from Arkansas to oppose funding for the state's only children's hospital. In response to the ad, Cotton released his own ad saying that he voted for the hospital funding and Pryor voted against it. Following that ad, the DSCC launched another ad which said that Cotton not only voted against the funding but is now lying about it.

DSCC ad opposing Cotton for opposing funding for children's hospital

Cotton response ad, saying he voted for funding and Pryor voted against it

DSCC ad restating that Cotton opposed the funding and won't admit it

On September 25, 2014, the DSCC released another ad, criticizing Cotton for voting against the Farm Bill.

DSCC ad criticizing Cotton for voting against the Farm Bill

Tom Cotton

Cotton for Senate

Cotton's campaign released the following five ads. The ads primarily focused on Cotton's military record and criticizing Pryor for supporting Obamacare.

October 2013 ad criticizing Mark Pryor on Obamacare

Cotton for Senate ad focused on Cotton's military service

Ad defending Tom Cotton from Democratic ad opposing Cotton

Ad focused on Cotton's military service

Ad focused on Cotton's conservative upbringing

Club for Growth

The Club for Growth released the following two ads criticizing Pryor for supporting Obamacare and being too liberal.

Ad criticizing Mark Pryor's voting record as being too liberal

Ad criticizing Pryor for supporting the president and Obamacare

Reclaim America PAC

Reclaim America PAC released the following ad touting Cotton's military record.

Marco Rubio funded ad promoting Tom Cotton's military service

Americans for Prosperity

Americans for Prosperity released the following three ads opposing Pryor for supporting Obamacare, causing insurance policies to be cancelled despite the promise that people would be able to keep their current insurance.

Government Integrity Fund

Government Integrity Fund Action Network released the following ad supporting Cotton for fighting for America.

American Crossroads

American Crossroads released the following ad opposing Pryor for supporting Barack Obama and Obamacare.

Concerned Vets

Concerned Veterans for America released the following ad supporting Cotton for his voting record supporting veterans.

Election history

2010

On November 2, 2010, John Boozman won election to the United States Senate. He defeated incumbent Blanche L. Lincoln (D), Trevor Drown (I) and John Laney Gray, III (G) in the general election.

U.S. Senate, Arkansas General Election, 2010
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	John Boozman	57.9%	451,618
	Democratic	Blanche L. Lincoln incumbent	37%	288,156
	Independent	Trevor Drown	3.2%	25,234
	Green	John Laney Gray, III	1.9%	14,430
Total Votes				779,438

2008

On November 4, 2008, Mark Pryor won re-election to the United States Senate. He defeated Rebekah Kennedy (G) in the general election.

U.S. Senate, Arkansas General Election, 2008
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Mark Pryor incumbent	79.5%	804,678
	Green	Rebekah Kennedy	20.5%	207,076
Total Votes				1,011,754

See also

• United States House of Representatives elections in Arkansas, 2014
• United States Senate elections, 2014
• Mark Pryor
• Tom Cotton

External links

• Vote and discuss at SystemWiki
• Arkansas Secretary of State, Candidate list

Footnotes

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Arkansas' current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

John Boozman (R)

Tom Cotton (R)

Representatives

District 1

Rick Crawford (R)

District 2

French Hill (R)

District 3

Steve Womack (R)

District 4

Bruce Westerman (R)

Republican Party (6)