ARKANSAS VISIT- Two Democratic Presidential hopefuls paid a visit to Arkansas last weekend. Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar and former Representative Beto O’Rourke . They appeared at separate events held by the Democratic party in Little Rock. This marks the first time presidential candidates have visited Arkansas before the 2020 election. It could also be an indication of a larger strategy for the Democrats. Heather Yates, assistant professor of political science at the University of Central Arkansas in Conway shared some thoughts with Arkansas Public Radio KUAR about what these early presidential campaign visits mean.
"I think this is reflective of a lesson from 2016 that both parties learned," Yates explained. "That voters in states that felt outweighed…red-state democrats, blue-state republicans felt that they were either being ignored or overlooked and taken for granted. And candidate O’Rourke mentioned about coming to Arkansas that he felt that the grassroots strategy is ever important. And that the party ought not to write any state off."
Professor Yates points out that while the two candidate’s visit probably won’t elevate their campaign all that much, it will likely help give the Arkansas Democratic Party a much-needed boost.
"I definitely believe and interpret their visit to Arkansas is helping these state party organizations more," Yates said. "Now, that’s not to say it’s not mutually beneficial. But this is definitely a visit to this state where the Democratic organization here on the ground is…it’s under duress."
Yates says both O’Rourke and Klobuchar’s visit helped the Arkansas Democratic Party with fundraising and the spotlight they placed on Arkansas greatly helps with candidate recruitment for 2020 and beyond.
