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Baker in governor's crosshairs Wednesday, Jun 27, 2007 By David Sanders Consider this scenario: An enormously popular governor from the state's dominant political party makes it known that he will help defeat an incumbent state senator from the other side of the aisle. In a conventional political environment, being the object of a governor's disaffection would render one a political casualty. I've just described state Sen. Gilbert Baker's world. The Conway Republican faces re-election in 2008 and is in Gov. Mike Beebe's crosshairs. But this is Arkansas, land of unconventional politics, where political alliances oftentimes hinge more on friendship than partisanship. On Monday, Baker said he had received an outpouring of support from many important individuals both in Conway and Little Rock who value his "leadership and seniority" in the state Senate. He said with very little activity on his part, his campaign account has surpassed $100,000. Baker downplays any opposition from the governor's office and claims to have had a good working relationship with Beebe during the recent legislative session. As recently as April, Baker served as the chairman of the Arkansas Republican Party. He resigned the post, claiming that he needed to focus on his re-election. Beebe's opposition to Baker was solidified last year when Baker and other Republicans worked against his election. It is rumored that Beebe's ax to grind against Baker is due to the state GOP's funding of a campaign group that tried to link Beebe to a 1997 scandal, which eventually landed members of the Arkansas Senate in prison. Officially, the governor's office says Beebe will support Baker's Democratic opponent next year. When asked if Beebe has "targeted" Baker, the governor's spokesman said he would prefer to leave political characterizations to the state party. For his part, Baker has strong political allies. Senate President Pro Tempore Jack Critcher, D-Batesville, and Sen. Bob Johnson, D-Bigelow, Critcher's designated successor, are in Baker's camp, hosting a campaign fundraiser for him today at the Arkansas Poultry Federation headquarters. Baker forged ties with the two Democrats when the state Senate split on how to handle funds for local projects in the senators' districts. The group, of which the three men are part, is known as the "brotherhood," and is comprised of a majority of senators from both the Democratic and Republican parties. Counted among Baker's supporters are those in the construction, poultry, telecommunications and transportation industries. His allies claim that many of the same people who supported Beebe last year are now supporting Baker. Archie Shaffer, a Tyson Foods' lobbyist; Eddie Drilling, an AT&T vice president; Lane Kidd who heads the Arkansas Trucking Association, and Tom Kennedy, Entergy's vice president of Governmental Affairs, are either expected to be at Baker's fundraiser or have contributed to it. "It is an enormously powerful statement," one lawmaker said of the support of Critcher and Johnson. "If you want a favor from the governor, fine, but if you want a bill passed or something in an agency budget, it will come through Bob Johnson. Bob is the second most powerful man in state politics," the lawmaker said. Speaking off the record, some lobbyists think Beebe's opposition to Baker might be too much for him to overcome. Others believe Baker's tenacity and reputation as a fierce campaigner will be enough. Conway Democrat Joe White is his only announced opposition. State Rep. Betty Pickett, another Conway Democrat, is considering the race. Baker claims the choice is clear: Conway citizens can either have a senator who has years of seniority and is in the leadership, or they can have a senator who is on the outside and starting from the bottom. Time will tell, but he appears to be off to good start. ------- David Sanders writes twice weekly for the Arkansas News Bureau in Little Rock and is a host of the Arkansas Education Television Network's "Unconventional Wisdom." His e-mail address is DavidJSanders@aol.com. |
