General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Elizabeth Warren To Wall Street: Drop Dead [View all]Art_from_Ark
(27,247 posts)Dale Bumpers, challenged and defeated a long-time incumbent, J.William Fulbright, in the primary back in 1974 (the same year that Bill Clinton ran for Congress in Arkansas's 3rd district). Bumpers went on to become a fairly decent liberal Senator. I can't say whether he matched the caliber of Senator Fulbright, but he certainly towers above everyone who has held that office from Arkansas in the past 16 years or so.
And Halter was no newcomer to Arkansas politics-- he had been lieutenant governor when he challenged Lincoln. One reason why he challenged Lincoln was that she was constantly trailing behind the Republican challenger by double digits. And getting Obama involved in the primary was an absolutely stupid move, especially considering his approval rating in the state was below 40%, which was about the same proportion of support that Lincoln got in the general election.