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| | Making a case for Gov. Blanche Lincoln
Sunday, Nov 30, 2003 By David Sanders Sen. Blanche Lincoln is focused on her re-election effort to the world's most deliberative body. Fortunately for her, the state Republican Party hasn't been able to attract a top-tier candidate, which all but assures her victory next November. In recent days, Lincoln has been mentioned as a possible candidate in 2006 to take back the governor's office. General consensus among Democrats and some Republicans hold that Attorney General Mike Beebe would be the odds-on favorite to carry his party's banner in 2006. In recent months, 4th District Rep. Mike Ross has shown increasing interest in running for governor and has told some of his key supporters that he will make the race. Lincoln's name began to surface more as a possibility for governor in Arkansas following Louisiana's recent governor's race, in which Democrat Lt. Gov. Kathleen Blanco defeated Republican Bobby Jindal. That showed that a female Democrat could compete and win in the South. Since 1996, Democrats have been shut out of the Arkansas governor's office. At the same time the state Democratic Party has made impressive gains by controlling three of four of the state's congressional seats. Mark Pryor's election went even further to show that the Arkansas Democratic Party is a force to be reckoned with. Despite the gains at the federal level, Democrats have a bad taste in their mouth when it comes to the governor's office. The state's chief executive has enormous power to appoint individuals to coveted boards and commissions and has the ability to steer state jobs. Democrats desperately want the governor's office back so they are able to dole out the patronage. Why would Democrats even mention Lincoln as a possible candidate for governor? She is safe in the U.S Senate. A case can be made. Lincoln is a proven winner and is poised to continue her streak next year. Winning a statewide election is a tough task and if she joined a Democratic Primary with Beebe and Ross, Lincoln would be the only candidate who has won a contested statewide primary and general election. Beebe continues to be plagued by never running in a contested race and that makes some Democrats nervous. Ross has won very close races, but only at the congressional level. Lincoln has been tested. Lincoln is a moderate Democrat in a state where candidates in the political center flourish. Most recently, she was one of the first Democrats to support a Republican plan to expand Medicare. She supported - rather reluctantly - the ban on partial-birth abortion. She voted with President Bush on his first round of tax cuts. Back at home she is a Democrat cherished by the business community for her willingness to listen and is loved by farmers for her strong support. Lincoln enjoys broad support both in rural and urban areas. Assuming she wins re-election in 2004, if Lincoln were to run and win a governor's race in 2006 she would have the ability to appoint her successor to the U.S. Senate. In 2002, Lisa Murkowski became Alaska's junior senator when newly elected Gov. Frank Murkowski, her father, appointed her to fill the vacancy caused by his resignation from the Senate. Becoming governor would allow Lincoln to be quite the king - or queen - maker. The reality is that it would be hard to convince a sitting U.S. senator in a safe seat to come home and run for governor in a contested primary. However, depending on what Lincoln wants to do long term in her political career, the move could make sense. Her name has been mentioned in several circles as a future Democratic vice-presidential pick. If she were elected governor, her name would automatically shoot to the top of any list for the second spot on the ticket. Conventional wisdom holds that such a bold step would probably not be taken, but I've never considered Blanche Lincoln to be a conventional politician. ------ David Sanders writes twice weekly for the Arkansas News Bureau in Little Rock. His e-mail address is DavidJSanders@aol.com. |
