(FAYETTEVILLE) A Fayetteville Democrat who last year ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. House of Representatives launched another campaign Wednesday, this time for a seat in the U.S. Senate.
Josh Mahony, who received 32.6 percent of the vote in his race against incumbent Republican Steve Womack in the state’s 3rd Congressional District in November, hopes to take on Republican U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton of Dardanelle in 2020.
In a conference call Wednesday morning, Mahony portrayed
Cotton as a politician who has lost touch with the state he represents.
A native of El Dorado, Mahony fared better than any of Womack’s other general election foes, receiving 74,952 votes last year.
The last Democrat to run for the seat, Fayetteville attorney David Whitaker in 2010, captured 56,542 votes — 27.6% of the total. (Libertarian Steve Isaacson captured 63,715 votes — 22.7% of the total — in 2016.)
Mahony is the first Democrat to announce his candidacy for the Senate seat. Last month, retired Gen. Wesley Clark said he won’t enter the race; Democratic Party of Arkansas Political Director John Whiteside had sought to persuade him to run.
Cotton, who unseated incumbent Democratic U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor in 2014, starts his bid for a second six-year term with a substantial fundraising edge. His campaign committee had cash on hand of $2,831,908 as of March 31, plus outstanding debts and obligations of $113,890.
Mahony said his previous work with his family’s natural resources company in south Arkansas “gives me great visibility into the energy industry.”
About Author
Jeri Pearson
Jeri is the News Director for Pulse Multi-Media and Editor of The Polk County Pulse. She has 10 years of experience in community focused journalism and has won multiple press association awards.
More Stories
Food commodities distributed on April 19
Montgomery and Polk County drug courts to receive funding award and naloxone kits
Judge urges residents to take the broadband challenge process