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Voters in Arkansas will head to the polls on Tuesday to select nominees for Senate and governor.
Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark., is facing a primary challenge from Army veteran and former NFL and college football player Jake Bequette. Boozman’s been endorsed by former President Donald Trump, but that hasn’t stopped Bequette from attacking him, calling the senator a “D.C. insider.”
Boozman has significantly outraised Bequette. According to campaign finance filings, Boozman has raised almost $6 million this cycle and Bequette has raised over $1.2 million.
Bequette, however, has had the backing of an outside group called Arkansas Patriot Fund. The group is funded by Richard Uihlein and others. Uihlein is the CEO of Uline, a shipping supply company, and is a longtime conservative donor who has given millions to the Club for Growth.
Arkansas Patriots Fund has spent $1.9 million on ads backing Bequette, according to AdImpact, an ad-tracking firm. Boozman’s campaign has spent $2.2 on ads supporting his reelection. Another outside group, Heartland Resurgence, has also backed Boozman’s campaign, spending $1.3 million on the airwaves to support him.
In the gubernatorial race, former Trump White House press secretary to Trump Sarah Huckabee Sanders is leading the Republican field. She’s spent over $1.8 million on ads and has only one primary opponent. Huckabee Sanders is the daughter of former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.
Arkansas is a deeply red state, so in both races, whoever wins the Republican primary is likely to win the general election in November.