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Clinton helps Beebe raise more than $600,000 for campaign Friday, Sep 8, 2006 By Rob Moritz Arkansas News Bureau NORTH LITTLE ROCK - Former President Bill Clinton attended two fund-raisers for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mike Beebe on Thursday, helping the candidate raise more than $600,000 for his campaign. "He's been a great attorney general," Clinton told a crowd of about 1,000 at the Alltel Arena. He also said Beebe was "a superb senator." Beebe served in the state Senate for 20 years, nine of them while Clinton was governor. Beebe faces Republican Asa Hutchinson, a former U.S. congressman and undersecretary of Homeland Security, in the Nov. 7 general election. During the event on the floor of the Alltel arena, about 800 pounds of catfish and 400 pounds of frog legs were served to the Beebe supporters, who paid $100 each to attend. Afterward, Clinton spoke at a $1,000 a person gala for Beebe at the Statehouse Convention Center. Late Thursday evening the former president was to attend a $5,000 a person fund-raiser at a downtown restaurant for the Democratic Party's coordinated campaign. That event was expected to raise about $400,000 for Victory 2006. During his speech at Alltel Arena, Clinton, who was governor of Arkansas for 12 years before being elected president, said the governor's race between Beebe and Hutchinson is "really important" to the state. "It gives you a chance to decide what kind of state you want and what kind of politics you want," Clinton said, adding that Hutchinson represents a "narrow slice" of the Republican Party, which tries to scare voters into supporting them. The former president went on to praise Beebe's proposals to improve education, including expanding prekindergarten, and he applauded the candidate for his support of expanding biofuel development. He urged audience members to talk to their neighbors and friends about Beebe and said the election will hinge on word-of-mouth, as much as advertising. Beebe, who stood with his wife, Ginger, thanked Clinton for attending the event. The Democratic candidate went on to note that two women standing near the stage had opposed one of Clinton's education initiatives when he was governor in the 1980s. "It illustrates ... what this country and this process can be about," Beebe said. "We can disagree on this issue or that issue. We can have differences of opinion as to how we're going to come to the ultimate solution that we seek. We can have knock-down drag-out fights sometimes, but we do it in civil manner." "We do it realizing that we're all Arkansans," he said. Academy award-winning actress Mary Steenburgen, who grew up in North Little Rock, attended the event at Alltel Arena and at the Statehouse Convention Center. Boxing champion Jermaine Taylor, who grew up in Little Rock, was to attend the event at the Statehouse Convention Center. About 400 people were expected to attend that event, and performers were to include country music singer Joe Nichols, a native of Rogers, and Jerry Jeff Walker. Clinton's visit comes a week after President Bush was in Little Rock to attend a fund-raiser for Hutchinson. That event, at the home of former Arkansas Razorback and professional basketball player Joe Kleine, raised about $400,000 for the candidate, and another $250,000 for the state Republican Party. Earlier Thursday, Clinton spoke at a fund-raiser for state Rep. Dustin McDaniel, D-Jonesboro, who is the Democratic nominee for attorney general. About 35 people paid $2,000 to attend that event. McDaniel faces Republican Gunner Delay of Fort Smith in the Nov. 7 general election. |
