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Boozman rare Republican to have easy election path Sunday, Jun 22, 2008 By Aaron Sadler Stephens Washington Bureau WASHINGTON - Republicans in all likelihood will maintain their four-decade stranglehold on Arkansas' 3rd congressional district this year without having to fight hard to keep it. It's a good thing, since Rep. John Boozman -?one of the safest Republican in Congress - isn't one to pick a fight. Boozman, of Rogers, admits to being a chronic mumbler. He insists he can be aggressive when pushed. Yet, when he's prodded repeatedly to name a time he's raised his voice, he neither answers nor gets angry at being provoked. The unassuming, soft-spoken former school board member has hardly been bloodied in four House victories so far. His closest race when he won 55 percent of the vote in the 2001 special election that first sent him to Congress. In a year when Republicans expect tough battles to keep their seats in Congress against what most analysts expect with be a Democratic tide, Boozman has no major party opposition. "(Boozman) has basically secured his district," said Ron Peters, a professor with the Carl Albert Congressional Research and Studies Center. "And once that happens, the other party has very little incentive to put the resources in play to try to defeat him." Boozman, 57, is a Fort Smith native who played football at the University of Arkansas. He left a thriving optometry business in Rogers for Congress. "You talk about any area in the 3rd District, and I've probably been there or camped there or I have a relative there," he said, describing his territory as a "conservative district with conservative values." Boozman earns points from friends and foes alike for his demeanor. A little touchy-feely, he's as much at ease with a radical war protester as he is with a Wal-Mart lobbyist. "A lot of people say he's nice," said Abel Tomlinson, the Green Party candidate and Boozman's only opponent this year. Tomlinson, a 27-year-old University of Arkansas graduate student, said he knows he will probably lose. "It's way uphill," he said, "but I want to try to win. I think it's slightly possible if people will listen." About 10 percent of incumbent lawmakers will have no major party opponent this year, said David Wasserman, a House-watcher for The Cook Political Report. Boozman is among only about a dozen Republicans with that distinction. Of any year, this would have been Democrats' best chance to unseat Boozman, said Tomlinson, who calls himself a "green" Democrat. Elsewhere, that party has capitalized on the anti-war movement and high gas prices to castigate the GOP. A landslide in 2006 put Democrats in control of the House for the first time in 12 years. Already this year, Democrats have won three special elections for seats previously held by Republicans. Arkansas Democratic Party Chairman Bill Gwatney said the party could not find a quality candidate to field in the 3rd district and that it "wouldn't be very smart" to run a weak candidate in a region tough on Democrats anyway. "Republicans, our approval rating is very, very low, but generally they like their congressman, and I think that's true across the country," Boozman said. Boozman's immunity to the anti-GOP trend comes despite poll numbers that suggest President Bush is as unpopular in the 3rd district as he is elsewhere. A University of Arkansas survey taken last year showed the Republican president's approval rating in Boozman's district at about 30 percent, identical to Bush's statewide approval rating. And only about a third of voters in Boozman's district call themselves Republicans, according to the annual Arkansas Poll. Boozman remains strong because he has a feel for the "unique" style of his district, said Frank Niles, a political science professor at John Brown University in Siloam Springs. "That there is no Democratic challenger doesn't come as much of a surprise," Niles said. "Given his political skills and long-term relationship with the district, that poses a pretty formidable hurdle for challengers." Boozman said his popularity is related to his work for constituents. His favorite part of the job? The thank-you notes from senior citizens after Boozman helps them navigate the Social Security bureaucracy. He has no desire for higher office, content to gain clout on three House committees. In addition, he has neither the interest in nor the disposition for a more prominent role within the GOP caucus. A former foe, Jan Judy, said constituent service is about the only thing Boozman's known for. "It's really hard to run against someone who doesn't do very much, who basically just kisses babies and goes to veterans activities and hands out a lot of awards," said Judy, a former state legislator who lost by 21 percentage points to Boozman in 2004. "He doesn't do a lot of negative things or a lot of positive things. It's hard to fight somebody that's a do-nothing," she said. With no real electoral pressure, Boozman has been free to travel frequently - he's been to Africa four times as a congressman, for instance - and focus on issues that may not benefit him much politically. His keen foreign affairs interest tops that list. Though he continues to support President Bush and the war in Iraq, Boozman's bucked the president on farm legislation and immigration. "It's not like I get a phone call from the president and he's telling me how to vote," Boozman said. Even Gwatney praised Boozman for his Farm Bill vote. President Bush and presumptive GOP presidential nominee John McCain opposed the measure. "That tells me that John Boozman realizes that in Arkansas, he can't just toe the company line," Gwatney said. |
