With GOP taking House majority, Rep. Westerman in line for committee chairmanship

by Roby Brock (roby@talkbusiness.net)

With Republicans taking control of the U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman, R-Hot Springs, is poised to lead the House Natural Resources Committee.

Westerman, who was first elected to Congress in 2014, is the ranking member on the committee. A forester and engineer by trade, he was re-elected earlier this month to his fifth term.

While there are still a handful of close House races to be called, Republicans have won 218 seats, enough to secure the majority. Democrats have presently been declared victors in 210 House seats. There are still seven races too close to call.

https://talkbusiness.net/2022/11/with-gop-taking-house-majority-rep-westerman-in-line-for-committee-chairmanship/

Poll: Griffin leads in AG primary; large undecided in State Treasurer GOP race

by Talk Business & Politics staff (staff2@talkbusiness.net)

Lt. Gov. Tim Griffin has a commanding lead over his challenger Leon Jones, Jr. in their quest for the Republican nomination for Arkansas Attorney General. Rep. Mark Lowery leads State Sen. Mat Pitsch in the State Treasurer’s primary race, although a large block of GOP voters remain undecided.

The latest statewide Talk Business & Politics-Hendrix College Poll of 802 GOP primary voters was conducted on Monday, May 2, 2022 and has a margin of error of +/-4.3%. Respondents were asked for whom they planned to vote in the Attorney General’s and Treasurer’s races.

Attorney General
57% – Lt. Gov. Tim Griffin
10% – Leon Jones, Jr.
33% – Undecided

Treasurer of State
12% – State Senator Mathew W. Pitsch
30% – State Representative Mark Lowery
58% – Undecided

https://talkbusiness.net/2022/05/poll-griffin-leads-in-ag-primary-large-undecided-in-state-treasurer-gop-race/

GOP gubernatorial candidate Doc Washburn on Sarah Sanders: ‘I believe she’s a RINO’

by Roby Brock (roby@talkbusiness.net)

Talk show host Doc Washburn says his GOP rival for governor aligns too closely with “Republicans in Name Only” – RINOs – and that has caused him to question her conservative credentials and ability to lead Arkansas.

Washburn is the Republican opponent of Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the frontrunner for the GOP nomination who has amassed a multi-million dollar war chest and support from former President Donald Trump to many local and statewide elected officials.

Washburn said as he speaks to audiences, he’s finding persuasive voters to his cause.

https://talkbusiness.net/2022/03/gop-gubernatorial-candidate-doc-washburn-on-sarah-sanders-i-believe-shes-a-rino/

Sen. Cotton Talks Foreign Policy, D.C. Statehood, Supreme Court Expansion and His Political Future

by Roby Brock (roby@talkbusiness.net)

Still coy on running for President in 2024, U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., offered a wide range of opinions in an interview Sunday (April 25) on foreign and domestic policy issues and the 2022 and 2024 election cycle.

Cotton, the state’s junior senator, was re-elected to a six-year term in November 2020. He was active on the campaign trail for fellow Republicans in 2020 and expects to travel broadly to support GOP candidates in 2022. He’s still not willing to discuss speculation that he may be a Presidential candidate in 2024.

https://talkbusiness.net/2021/04/sen-cotton-talks-foreign-policy-d-c-statehood-supreme-court-expansion-and-his-political-future/