Page 21 - ATR 5 2014 web

a CloSE raCE
How likely is a Republican take-
over? The Senate is currently controlled
by the Democrats and their allies,
55-45, meaning a swing of six states “Procedurally sPeakiNg, a Political chaNge iN
would switch control to the GOP. The
party that controls the White House the seNate woN’t haVe a tremeNdous imPact
often loses seats during the mid-term oN big ticket issues like the highway bill,
election of the president’s second term, largely because the seNate will remaiN a
when voters are ready for a change. workiNg majority, Not a VotiNg majority.”
Democrats entered the 2006 midterm
elections during President George W.
Bush’s second term with 45 seats and —chris sPear,
ended the campaign with 51 seats. Vice PresideNt of the americaN truckiNg associatioNs
Moreover, Republicans have a natural
advantage during midterm elections,
when their older and more affluent
voter base is more likely to show up at in the most expensive Senate races in Pryor serves on the Senate
the polls. Democrats also are defending Georgia and North Carolina. Commerce Committee and the
21 of the 35 contested Senate races this The race is very close, with various Subcommittee on Surface
year, meaning they have a lot more to polls showing each candidate in the Transportation, as well as on the
lose. Seven of those 21 seats, including lead. The website Real Clear Politics’ Senate Appropriations Committee and
Arkansas, were won by Mitt Romney in average of recent polls showed Cotton the Subcommittee on Transportation,
2012. leading by an average of 45.8 percent Housing and Urban Development.
A Pryor win would be a shot in to 42.2 percent, meaning it’s still close With these appointments, Pryor has
the arm for the Democratic Party of enough to be a toss-up. Traditionally, worked with the industry on a variety
Arkansas, which surely could use one. an incumbent polling below 50 percent of issues during his tenure. Those
This time four years ago, Democrats at this stage is considered in serious issues include the use of electronic on
controlled five of the six seats in trouble. However, political observers board recorders, the creation of a
Arkansas’ congressional delegation and have questioned why Cotton has not national drug and alcohol clearing-
both houses of the state Legislature. been able to grab more of a lead given house, long-term highway funding
Those numbers have flipped: President Obama’s unpopularity in solutions, and most recently trying to
Republicans now control five seats Arkansas. Four years ago, then-Rep. delay the implementation of egregious
in Congress and both houses of the John Boozman, a Republican, defeated hours-of-service provisions.
Legislature, and they are already guar- Sen. Blanche Lincoln, 58-37 in a land- Senator Pryor was the lead spon-
anteed a majority in the state Senate slide. So far, Cotton hasn’t reached any- sor for legislation in the Senate to
after this election. No matter what hap- where near that level of support. call for the creation of a Commercial
pens in the U.S. Senate race, Arkansas Driver’s License Drug and Alcohol
will remain a reddening state. iMpaCT on TruCking Clearinghouse, which requires carri-
It’s possible for the Republicans Whether Senate committees are ers to report failed drug tests and test
to win the Senate without a Cotton chaired by Democrats or Republicans refusals to the Federal Motor Carrier
victory, but it would be much harder. is less important to trucking’s national Safety Administration (FMCSA) and
Arkansas is an easy target because it’s advocacy efforts than the actual to check with the clearinghouse when
geographically smaller and ad buys are Senators themselves. Naturally, as a making new hires. Pryor also intro-
much cheaper. As a result, according Senate veteran with committee assign- duced legislation to mandate the
to the Center for Public Integrity, as of ments pertinent to the transportation use of electronic on board recorders
Sept. 22, the candidates, the parties and industry, Pryor has a much longer in all commercial vehicles. Both of
independent groups had broadcast more record than Cotton related to issues these measures were supported by the
than 40,576 TV ads during the cam- important to the trucking industry. Arkansas Trucking Association and the
paign. According to Andrew DeMillo In fact, last October Pryor was the American Trucking Associations.
in an article for the Associated Press, honoree at the American Trucking Both pieces of legislation were
the candidates and their supporters are Associations’ Truck PAC dinner at the eventually rolled in to the highway
spending around 7 dollars per voter in Annual Management Conference and
Arkansas, double the per-voter spending Exhibition. 

aRkansas tRuCking RepoRt | issue 5 2014 21