Author: Drew Pritt

Well I took nearly two months to survey a possible Senate bid. There is not a way for me to run and to win. The options are either I would lose in the primary, at best taking a third of the vote. The second option is I would win and splinter and fracture the party so much that it would take a decade or more to heal the damage. The third option is that Mike Huckabee could exploit either the first or second option to run for U.S. Senate. I am not prepared to allow any of those things to happen.

Also, unfortunately, financially I am not in a position to run or raise the money to run. Finally, the Chairman of the Arkansas Democratic Party is a good friend and someone who I admire and trust. If Jason Willett says don’t do it, I am inclined to listen, because he is a close friend.

Finally, its just not in the cards. Yes, I am mad about Mark Pryor voting the way he has voted. But unfortunately, I cannot raise the money it will take to defeat him and defeat a savvy, well-funded, Republican like Mike Huckabee in the fall.

There will be those who will get on the blogs, who do not know me, who already have attacked my character with lies and say they knew all along I would not run. You’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t with these morons. At the end of the day, a person has to look in their heart, and say am I doing the right thing?

Our democracy, and the ability to get people to run for office, is sadly becoming like this UCC Ad – http://ga3.org/ucc2/…

* We are endowed to continue to maintain democracy in our own nation. But when demagogues, and individuals with hidden agendas use tools like the internet to attack others with whom they disagree, we have a problem.

* When the value of a Senate or House candidate is not the force of their ideas but the power of the purse and their ability to raise money, we have a problem.

* When our system of government deviates from checks and balances to which lobbying group and which issue is the flavor of the month, we have a problem.

* When we refuse to acknowledge the first three problems and not hear the words of those who warn us of impending danger, we have a problem.

I will stay active. I will be a part of the process. One day, we shall overcome.

Drew Pritt, a Democrat who became the first openly gay candidate to run statewide in Arkansas, says a progressive Democrat challenging Pryor in 2008 would be the best thing to happen for Arkansas Democrats, and he said he might as well be the one to do it.

“Senator Pryor should know better,” said Pritt. “However, he has voted too often with George W. Bush and against the people. Now Senator Pryor says he wants to be bipartisan and work for progress. Senator Pryor needs to remember the Democratic Party is the party of progress and the people of Arkansas want a Senator who is progressive and partisan in that regards.”

Pritt says Pryor should follow more of the example his own father, as well as Senator Dale Bumpers, set while serving in the U.S. Senate. He says the results of the November 7th Election show that the Democratic Party returned to its roots of fighting for progressive causes and nominating progressive candidates.

“The voters all across this country are tired of chameleon politics,” said Pritt. “If you are a Democrat, then stand up, speak out, and fight for
values that made the Democratic Party strong in this country. We are the party of less government, because we fight for an individuals right to choose, not a government. We are the fiscally responsible party because we fight for pay as you go, not deficit spending. We are the party of patriotism, because any neighborhood bully can pick a fight, especially with a weaker opponent. The true statesmen are the ones who fight and secure the peace, but also work daily to maintain peace. We also are the party of Main Street, USA and we need a U.S. Senator who fights for Main Street, Arkansas.”

Pritt says he differs with Pryor’s record of voting on a number of issues. In particular, as a U.S. Senator, Pritt says his support of a woman’s right to choose will be unequivocal. He supports a phased withdraw from Iraq in a year and supports turning over the policing and beefing up of the country to the members of the Arab League. Also, he will be a huge proponent of improving and expanding Amtrak service across the country. Also, Pritt says he will not be any proponent of “working with” a Republican opposition that supports judicial nominees who are anti-choice, anti-working families, and anti-civil liberties.

He says he recognizes he faces a strong challenge with formidable odds in challenging Pryor. However, Pritt says he is a true Democrat and the voters will know without a doubt he will be a Democrat when voting in the Senate. He also says his previous experience in running for Lt. Governor will serve him well the second time around.

“This time I have to raise money to be competitive,” said Pritt. “The grassroots campaigning will help but the simple fact is I need to raise money to send a message and be successful.”

He also said he believes Governor Mike Huckabee will eventually end up running for the U.S. Senate in 2008 as the Republican nominee. Should
Pritt defeat Pryor in a major upset in the primary, Pritt says this is a general election matchup he’d relish.

“I helped lead the effort to defeat one of Mike Huckabee’s hair-brained schemes before with the Road Bond,” said Pritt. “I would love the chance
to face him one-on-one in a General Election matchup and compare the Democratic Party’s values and records with that of Governor Huckabee and the Arkansas Republican Party.”

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