Tim Hutchinson (R); Race At A Glance 2002
Arkansas Senate
| Tim Hutchinson (R) | 46% | |
| Mark Pryor (D) | 54% |  |
View Tim Hutchinson's Dirty Dozen profile
The Race
Tim Hutchinson was one of the most vulnerable incumbents facing reelection this year primarily because he was plagued by personal scandal and had a voting record that was out of step with the majority of Arkansas voters. He has a record of consistently siding with corporate polluters and against the health and safety of Arkansas families, voting to gut clean water protections and working to block the preservation of the state's natural heritage areas like the Arkansas River. Hutchinson was named to the Dirty Dozen because of his abysmal environmental record, scoring 4% on the 2002 National Environmental Scorecard. He faced a tough challenger in Arkansas State Attorney General Mark Pryor, son of former U.S. Sen. David Pryor. Mark Pryor offered an approach to corporate polluting that appealed more to voters by working to protect state waters like Crooked Creek and forcing the polluters to pay for cleaning up contaminated toxic waste sites.
The Environment
Arkansas possesses a wealth of natural resources but also faces many environmental threats. Over 1,000 miles of its rivers fail to meet water quality standards due to pollution, and its capitol, Little Rock, is plagued by sewer overflows.
LCV Activities
On October 1, 2002, LCV traveled to Little Rock to announce its Dirty Dozen campaign to defeat Tim Hutchinson. LCV’s activities in this race centered on an aggressive media effort highlighting Hutchinson’s abysmal record. TV stations and newspapers across Arkansas covered LCV’s Dirty Dozen campaign. The Arkansas Democrat Gazette noted, “Hutchinson makes environmentalists’ list of worst legislators.” The Associated Press wire highlighted, “Hutchinson targeted by conservation group.” Noting LCV’s endorsement of Pryor, the Arkansas Times wrote that Hutchinson, “&has voted so often to let corporations ravage the countryside that the League of Conservation Voters has named him one of the ‘dirty dozen’ congressional candidates in this year's election.”
