If the Democratic Party is to retake the U.S. House this year, it will have to beat some Republicans. And the conventional wisdom is that Arkansas is anything but a fertile ground for gains. U.S. Rep. Vic Snyder will have to fight to hang on to his Democratic seat in the Second District against a vigorous challenge from Republican Phil Wyrick. Incumbents, one Republican and one Democrat, will be re-elected in the Third and First Districts. Which leaves the Fourth District, home of U.S. Rep. Jay Dickey, a Republican embarking on a run for a fourth term, despite the warmth he professes for term limits.
Dickey represents one of the most Democratic districts in the country.
But those traditional leanings were no help to state Sen. Jay Bradford, a progressive Democrat with plenty of money and energy, beaten by Dickey four years ago. But hope isn't dead, not after an unknown young black man who spent no money got nearly 37 percent of the vote against Dickey two years ago. Now comes state Rep. Judy Smith of Camden, a social worker up from the poverty of a Louisiana sugar cane plantation. Judy Smith happens to be black. The district's population is about 26 percent black, with the actual vote maybe 21 percent black.