Unions Make a Stand in Arkansas Race

[n2doc]

By SHAILA DEWAN and STEVEN GREENHOUSE
Published: June 4, 2010


CONWAY, Ark. — They have knocked on 170,000 doors, made 700,000 phone calls, sent 2.7 million pieces of mail and spent almost $6 million on television and radio advertising.

That is how badly labor unions, by their own count, want to defeat Senator Blanche Lincoln, a Democrat they once supported. Even though Arkansas’s labor force is one of the least unionized in the country, labor has thrown huge support behind Mrs. Lincoln’s primary challenger, Lt. Gov. Bill Halter, in a runoff election on Tuesday.

The unions have made the race here the centerpiece of a new effort to hold union-backed candidates accountable for their votes after they are elected.

The push is fueled by a frustration that goes back years but that peaked in the health care debate and in the failure of the Democratic-led Senate to bring far-reaching pro-union legislation to the floor. Even as unions lose members and bargaining power across the country, their campaign against Mrs. Lincoln shows that they are determined to flex their political muscles more than ever before.

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http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/06/us/politics/06labor.html

[ClassWarrior]

1. You too can help Halter...

Via email...

In just 3 days, Arkansas voters will choose between corporate Democrat Sen. Blanche Lincoln and progressive challenger Bill Halter.

If Halter defeats Lincoln, it will send shockwaves through the Democratic establishment -- showing that Democratic voters will punish senators who put corporate interests first and block priorities like the public option.

There will never be a more critical time your help is needed than now. Can you make calls to Bill Halter supporters from your home this weekend -- to remind them to vote?

Yes! I can do a shift Sunday! http://act.boldprogressives.org/go/953?akid=1307.286188.U9zVGA&t=8

No -- but I'll chip in $4 to Halter's campaign for the final stretch. http://act.boldprogressives.org/go/1085?akid=1307.286188.U9zVGA&t=9

You can phone bank from the comfort of your home computer. The calls are easy, fast, and we'll only be calling friendly folks -- just reminding previously identified Bill Halter supporters to vote.

How did these Halter supporters get identified? Well, thanks in large part to PCCC members who have now donated over $210,000 to Halter's campaign --much of which funded Halter's grassroots voter-outreach operation.

That, plus local PCCC members in Arkansas who tirelessly knocked on doors and made phone calls.

Together, over the last few months, we've set the stage for a historic victory in Arkansas. Now, we have to get it done.

Can you make calls to Bill Halter supporters from your home this weekend -- to remind them to vote?

Yes! I can do a shift Sunday! http://act.boldprogressives.org/go/953?akid=1307.286188.U9zVGA&t=8

No -- but I'll chip in $4 to Halter's campaign for the final stretch. http://act.boldprogressives.org/go/1085?akid=1307.286188.U9zVGA&t=9

Thanks for being a bold progressive,

-- Stephanie Taylor, Aaron Swartz, Adam Green, Michael Snook, Keauna Gregory, and the PCCC team

Want to support our work? We're entirely funded by our members—no corporate contributions, no big checks from CEOs. And our tiny staff ensures that small contributions go a long way. Chip in here.

Paid for by the Progressive Change Campaign Committee PAC (www.BoldProgressives.org) and not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. Contributions to the PCCC are not deductible as charitable contributions for federal income tax purposes.

NGU.

[chill_wind]

2. K & R. n/t