Now that would-be Congressman Tom Cotton has confirmed he cares nothing about serving his constituents in Arkansas' 4th Congressional District and has decided to run for the U.S. Senate instead, the AR-04 Congressional race in 2014 is becoming wide open at this point.
Amazingly, there is so far a Democratic candidate who is running. Her name is Janis Percefull and she teaches history at National Park Community College in Hot Springs. Last month, she announced her intentions:
http://www.arktimes.com/...
Janis Percefull, 61, who teaches history at National Park Community College in Hot Springs, called me to say she had filed papers today with the Federal Election Commission today as a Democratic candidate for 4th District Congress, a seat currently held by Rep. Tom Cotton.
She described herself as a "progressive," motivated by a desire to find solutions in a Congress where issue after issue winds up in a deadend. "I know I can win," she said. A graduate of Ouachita Baptist University, Percefull has a master's degree from UALR and limited experience in electoral politics. She ran an unsuccessful race for Garland County Quorum Court about 20 years ago, she said.
Noting the supposed "toxic environment" for Democrats in Arkansas, Janis Percefull should be commended for taking a stand and running in a deep red Congressional District which may not be the most inviting for Democratic activism.
Then again anything can happen.
Meanwhile, it appears Percefull, while I haven't seen videos of her speak as of yet, may be a good enough Democrat to run in the AR-04 Congressional District. She's certainly no Blue Dog Democrat, that's for sure:
http://hotspringsdaily.com/...
Percefell is running on a strong environmental platform:
“Every day there is a new headline that tells us that the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the lives we live on is adulterated, and that every life-giving force on this planet is under attack. – April 2013″
And in addition, Percefull is very much anti-war. She believes Tom Cotton is too pro-war for her taste and focuses more on that than the needs of those in AR-04.
http://www.arktimes.com/...
"All he wants to do is go to war, war, war," Percefull said, "and he wants to pay for it with money that would go to people who are hungry and neglected." Rather than working on putting people to work, he wants to work on going to war, Percefull said. "He's anti-woman, anti-children, anti-people."
In addition, according to the Hot Springs Daily article, Percefull plans to focus her platform on poverty, healthcare and equality. Not bad for someone running in a red district being represented by a Tea Party nut (Tom Cotton).
No other Democratic candidate running at this time. Some have been approached but no other candidate besides Janis Percefull has declared their candidacy:
http://atr.rollcall.com/...
CQ Roll Call reported in March that Democratic state Sen. Bruce Maloch would likely be the party’s to choice to run in the 4th District. But in a phone interview on Wednesday, Maloch said he has ruled out a bid.
“I considered race, and I had encouragement, but I like where I am in the state Senate,” Maloch said.
Democrats have also mentioned state Rep. Jeff Wardlaw as a top candidate.
“I am considering a run but I wouldn’t say that I’m in there yet,” Wardlaw told CQ Roll Call in a phone interview on Wednesday. “I need to sit down with my wife and kids and see if it’s something they want to pursue.”
Other potential Democratic candidates include Chris Thomason, the chancellor of the University of Arkansas Community College at Hope, President Bill Clinton’s hometown, and U.S. Attorney Conner Eldridge. Democrat Janis Percefull, a college professor, has said she plans to announce a bid as well.
If you are considering supporting Janis Percefull for Congress, the necessary links are below:
Janis Percefull for Congress:
http://www.jkpercefullforcongress.com/
Donate: https://services.myngp.com/...