Republican Tom Cotton bested Democrat Mark Pryor in the Arkansas Senate race Tuesday, showcasing the major struggles for members of President Obama’s party on the ballot in red-leaning, Southern states. It was the second Democratic seat to fall to Republicans on the night, and it cut the net gain the GOP needs to retake the Senate to four.
CNN called the Cotton victory over Pryor, the incumbent, once the polls closed at 8:30 p.m.
Pryor was the poster child for Democrats trying to distance themselves from Obama in this election cycle, with the Arkansas senator instead preferring to embrace native son Bill Clinton in the waning days on the campaign trail.
As much as Pryor wanted to present himself as a Clinton Democrat, it didn’t work.
Cotton, an Ivy League graduate and military veteran, was the type of well-polished candidate who conservatives said was severely lacking in the 2012 down-ballot races.
In a state that Republican Mitt Romney carried by nearly 25 points in 2012, Cotton successfully made the election all about Obama.
“President Obama said just last week that his policies are on the ballot — every single one of them — and I agree with him. In Arkansas, those policies are on the ballot under the name of Mark Pryor,” Cotton said during an October debate. “Sen. Pryor has said that President Obama doesn’t have a lot to offer rural America and states like Arkansas. I agree. I just don’t understand why he continually votes for the president’s agenda 93 percent of the time.”
Republican candidates in Louisiana, Georgia, Kentucky and North Carolina pursued similar strategies, but it proved particularly beneficial for Cotton, who faced early questions about his lack of experience. Cotton served just one term in the House before running for Senate.
