Meanwhile, Down The Ticket...

...Arkansas Republicans have been unable to find a candidate who will oppose the re-election bid of Democratic freshman Senator Mark Prior. This is actually less surprising than one might think. Yes, Arkansas is a conservative state. It voted for native Bill Clinton for President but aside from that has voted Republican for President in every election since 1976. But aside from that, there is functionally no Republican party in the state to speak of. There's a few Republicans up in the Ozarks but that's about it -- aside from that, it's pretty much one-party rule there. Prior's predecessor in the Senate and Mike Huckabee are the only Republicans to hold statewide office in Arkansas since Reconstruction. And that's just the way it is.