In the past week, we met — either virtually or in-person — with four congressional candidates who are adjusting to campaigning in a pandemic. One is seeking to strike up conversations at a distance from her pickup truck to woo rural voters. Another is running against his governor's participation in protests against police brutality while simultaneously limiting large public gatherings.
Across partisan and ideological lines, all four candidates expressed optimism that a "time for change" dynamic will upset past patterns and help them defeat entrenched, "out of touch" incumbents. But they also shared a broad uncertainty about the impact of increased absentee voting on turnout and when results will be finalized in November. Below are our initial impressions.
AR-02: Joyce Elliott (D) - Central: Little Rock Solid Republican. Elliott, a state senator who has represented a majority Black Little Rock district since 2008, is challenging three-term GOP Rep. French Hill. In 2016, this Little Rock district voted for President Trump by 11 points, by far his lowest margin in the state. Hill, a former banker, defeated Democratic state Rep. Clarke
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