How Arkansas’ governor’s primaries changed state politics

JOINING US THIS EKWE ON 40/29 NEWS ON THE RECORD IS A UNIVERSE OF OF ARKANSAS POLITALIC EXPERT TO GO OVER THE ARKANSAS PRIMARY RESULTS AND DIG DEEREP INTO WHAT THIS MEANS FOR ARKANSAS. DR. KAREN SIEBOLD IS JOINING US FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS. DR. SIEBOLD, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US TODAY. AND LET’S START WITH THE GOVERNOR’S RACE. BOTH CANDIDATES FOR THE GOP AND THE DEMOCRATS MANGKI HISTORY. NCA YOU EXPLAIN HOW SIGNIFICANT THE NOMINATIONS FOR THIS WEEK? A SURE. CERTAINLY THOSE NOMINATIONS WORSEN IF AGAIN, IN TERMS OF THE HI STYOR THAT WAS MADE, HAVING THE FIRST BLACK MAN NWI A PARTY NOMINATION IN THE STATE. OFOU CRSE, THE FIRST FEMALE TO WIN THE REPUBLICAN NOMINATION. SO WE ARE MAKING SOME HISTORY IN THIS STATE REGARDLESS OF WHAT HAPPENS IN THE GENERAL ELECTION. AND BECAUSE OF THAT, THERE WERE A LOT OF EYES ON THE STATE. THEY WERE INTERESTEDN IWHAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN IN THIS GUBERNATORIAL RACE AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL. D ANOF COURSE, PARTIALLY BECAUSE OF THE CAMPAIGN OF SARAH HUCKEEAB SANDERS, WHO’S JUST THREE YEARS OUT OF THE WHITE HOUSE, AT THIS POINT, YDOOU THINK THAT’S WHAT IS HAPPENING HERE FOR SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS? YEAH, R FOSURE. THERE WAS SOME ATTENTION AND INTEREST, A LOT OF CURIOSITY ABOUT HER AND HOW HER CAMPAIGN WOULD CARRY ITS MESSAGE. THE STYLE OF THE CAMPAIGN, WHETHER OR NOT THEY WOULD EMBRACE DOLDNA TRUMP OR MOREF O THE ESTAB OF SCHMIDT. SO WHEN Y WOUATCHED THE NATIONAL MEDIA YESTERDAY, THERE WAS A LOT OF TALK DAN ATTENTION PAID TO THAT KIND OF A CURIOSITY ABOUT WHAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN WITH HER CAMPAIGN. BUT IT WASN’T TO SURPRISING, AND ITAS W EXPECTED THAT SHE WOULD LIKELY PULL OUT A BIG WIN LIKE THIS BECAUSE OF THE MOMENTUM OF HER CAMPAIGN, AS WELL AS HER AND HER KIND OF NATIONAL RESUME. SHE’S BUILT OVER THE YEARS AND RHE EXPERIENCE AS A POLITICAL CONSULTANT WORKING BEHIND THE SCENES IN COMMUNICATION LINES, NOT ONLY IN ETH PRESIDENTIAL PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP’S CAMPAIGN, BUT HERE IN THE STATE OF ARKANSAS. SO THERE WAS A LOT OF CURIOSITY ABOUT HOW WOULD SHE BE AS A CANDIDATE, WOULD SHE BE ABLE TO PERFORM? BUT THERE WAS A LOT OF MOMENTUM ON HER SIDE, AS I JUST SAID. SHE CERTAINLY HAD A LARGE WAR CHEST TO ALSO AID THE POLITICAL SKILLS THAT SHE HADND A THAT REALLY SET THE TONE FOR HER RACE EARLY ON. OF COURSE, WE SAW THAT, YOU KNOW, THERE WERE SEVERAL COMPETITORS IN HER RACE INITIALLY. THEY KIND OF BACKED AWAY. THEY KIND OF GOT THE ESTABLISHMTEN MESSAGE THAT, HEY, THIS IS OUR CANDIDATE FOR THIS RACE AT THIS TIME. THEY TOOK THOSE SIGNALS FROM THE ESTABLISH SCHMIDT LESLIE RUTLEDGE DROEDPP OUT. TIM GRIFFIN, WHO WOULD HAVE BEEN THE LIKELY SUCCESSOR FOR GOVERNOR, GINVE THAT HE WAS LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR FOR THE SAME NUMBER OF YEARS THAT WE HAD. ASA. BUT THAT JUST WASN’T THE CASE. THEY KIND OF TOOK THAT SIGNAL THATT I WAS NOT THEIR TURF, THEIR TURN, THEIR TIME. AND, OF COURSE, THAT LARGE WARCHEST, IT WAS JUST A JUGGERNAUT. SHE WAS A FUNDRAISING AND THAT REALLY DID KIND OF SET THE TONE AT EARLY MONEY AND CARRIED HER TO SUCCESS. AND THERE IS A LOTF O NATIONAL ATTENTION ON ARKANSAS RIGHT NOW BECAUSE OF SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS, BUT ALSO GOVEORRN ASA HUTCHINSON YOU MENTIONED HIS NAME, BUT HE HAS ALSO EXPRESSED INTEREST IN POSSIBLY RUNNING FOR THE WHITE HOUSE. SO THAT’S KIND OF INTERESTING, DO YOU THINK? FOR SURE. AND BECAUSE HE’S BEING MORE VOCAL ABOUT IT IN THE LAST COUPLE OF NATIONAL INTERVIEWS, OF COURSE, I WATCH A LOT OF THE MEDIA IN ASIA HAS BEEN MAKING HIS ROUNDS FOR THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS DURING COVID BECAUSE HE’S BEEN ONE OF THOSE NATIONAL LEADERS TO REALLY KIND OF STEP UP AND TOE THAT LINE BETWEEN PROTECTING RIGHTS, BUT DEALING WITH THAT PANDA IMAGE. AND SO THAT GAVE HIM A SPRINGBOARD TO POTENTIALLY RUN IN THE IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS. ANDE’ ’S BEEN MORE VOCAL ABOUT THAT. I MEAN, CERTAINLY DOES HAVE A NATIONAL RESUME AND AND THE CREDIBILITY TO RUN SUCCESSFULLY IN THE REPUBLINCA PARTY. IF YOU START TO LOOK AT THE POLLS THAT ARE STARTING TO COME OUT ALREADY PREDICTING WHO WILL BE THE REPUBNCALI CANDIDATE IN THE PRIMARY, HE IS IN THE TOP TEN. SO IT’S A CROWDED FIELD. YES, IT CERTAINLY IS. BUT HE HAS FOUND A WAY TO KIND OF CARVE OUT A LITTLE NICHE IN THAT AND TTHA OVER CROWDED REPUBLICAN FIELD. SO, YEAH, IT’S RYVENT IERESTING AND INTERESTING BACK COMING BACK TO OUR GUBERNATOALRI RACE AND WHAT’S NEXT FOR CHRISTIAN, SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS AND RICKY DALE HARRINGTON JR. JR. YEAH. AND SO INTERESTING. SO IT WAS ALSO HISRYTO MAKING FOR CHRIS JONES, OUR FIRST BLACK MAN TO WHEN THAT PARTY NOMINATION. AND, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, AN INDEPENDENT. THAT, OF COURSE, IS INTERESTED IN BEING ELECTED. BUT, YOU KW,NO THE IT’S GOING TO BE DIFFICULT TO OFFSET THE MOMENTUM OF THE SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS CAMPAIGN. AND LIKE I SAID, HER WAR CHEST AS OF MAY 14,TH IT’S REPORTED THAT SHE HAS AROUND $4.5 MILLION LEFT IN RHE PRIMARY WAR CHEST AND $2 MILLION ALREADY RAISED FOR HER GENERAL ELECTION WAR CHEST. SHE’LL BE ABLE TO CARRY THAT PRIMARY MONEY OVER TO THE GENERAL ELECTION. SO SHE HAS OVER $6 MILLION ALREADY IN HERAR W CHEST TO RUN. THAT CAN BUY A LOT OF ADVERTISEMENTS IN A STATE LIKE ARKANSAS. THAT’S TRUE. SO HOW DO YOU THINK THE CANDIDATES WILL CHANGE THEIR CAMPAISGN NOW THAT THEY’VE WON THEIR PRIMARIES FOR THE GOVERNOR’S RACE AND REALLY MOVE MORE TOWARDS A CENTER? DO YOU THINK? CERTAINLY THAT IS HOW TRADITIONALLY POLITICS WOULD WORK AFTER THE PRIMARY AND YOU’VE CAPTURED YOUR PARTY’S NOMINATION, YOU WOULD START TO PIVOT TOWARD THE CENTER. BUT THAT MAY NOT BE THE CASE IN THIS STATE BECAUSE OF THE NUMBER OF VOTERS THAT ARE REPUBLICAN COMPARED TO THOSE THAT ARE DEMOCRATS. ETH STATE HAS REALLY BECOME A SOLID REPUBLICAN STATE, AND SO IT IS ALREADY AN UPHILL BATTLE FOR CHRIS JONES. SO HE’S GOING TO HAVTOE TURN OUT HIS BASE. IT’S GOING TO BE HARD FOR HIM TO PIVOT TO THE MIDDLE IF HE NEEDS TUROUTN HIS BASE OF SUPPORT. AND SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS DOESN’T RELYAL NEED TO PIVOT TOO MUCH IN IN RIGHT NOW, POLICY POSITIONS AREN’AST IMPORTANT AS THEY USED TO BE. IDEOLOGY IS MORE IMPORTANT. AND SHE’S GOT THE IDEOLOGY AND THE MOMENTUM AND THE NUMBER OF REPUBLICAN VOTERS. DO YOU KNOW IN THE ODDS A IREN HER FAVOR FOR THE FALL? CERTAINLY COMPARED TOHR CIS JONES,HO W’S JUST FIGHTING FOR A SMALLER POOL OF DONORS. IF HE CAN TURN THE INDEPENDENTS OUT, THAT WOULD BE A KEY TO A DEMOCRATIC VICTORY, WOULD BE TO WE HAVE A LARGE NUMBER OF INDEPENDENT VOTERS IN THE STATE. YES. IN GENERAL, A NUMBER OF THEM DO TEND TO VOTE CONSERVATIVE, BUT IF THE ISSUES LIKE THE ECONOMY, JOBS, TAXES IN ARKANSAS, IF CHRIS JONES CAN FIND A WAY TO CARVE OUT A POSITION THAT WILL BRINTHG OSE INDEPENDENT VOTERS OUT TO VOTE FOR HIM, HE WOULD HAVE HE WOULD AT LEAST BE COMPETITIVE AGAINST SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS. DR. SIEBOLD, WE’RE GOING TO BE CKBA IN 2 MINUTES TO TALK MORE ABOUT THAT MOMENTUM AND THEN