Pryor To Face No Republican Opposition

Despite representing a Republican-leaning state, Sen. Mark Pryor (D-Ark.) will not be facing any GOP opposition in his bid for re-election.

No Republicans filed against Pryor before the filing deadline this afternoon.

It’s the latest setback for Senate Republicans, who just last week saw their leading recruit against Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) drop out of the race after suffering a mini-stroke.

On paper, Arkansas should have been a state where Republicans could run a competitive campaign. The Southern state has leaned Republican at the national level, giving President Bush 54 percent of the vote in the 2004 presidential race.

Pryor ousted former Sen. Tim Hutchison from office in 2002, winning 54 percent of the vote. He ended the year with $3.6 million cash-on-hand, making it difficult for any prospective challenger to catch up financially.

Republicans in recent weeks had been talking up the possibility that former governor (and presidential candidate) Mike Huckabee could run, but he exhibited no interest in entering the race.

None of the state's four Congressmen -- three Democrats, one Republican -- will be facing any major-party opposition, either.