Arkansas Democrat State Candidates Fail to Answer Questions

Arkansas News Bureau, Little Rock: Statewide Democrat candidates for governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state and attorney general did not answer questions posed by a conservative pro-family organization for its online voting guide for the 2006 general election. The Arkansas Voters Guide is the Internet version of a print publication that the Arkansas Family Council has put out for 16 years. The guide prints the answers given by each candidate to a number of questions on topics, this year ranging from gay foster parents to the sales tax on groceries. The questions are not partisan and are about issues that have come up in the news in Arkansas. The questions covered several controversial topics in Arkansas politics, including the candidate's views on granting scholarships to the children of illegal immigrants and the Roe v. Wade court decision that legalized abortion.

Democrat Lieutenant Governor candidate Bill Halter spokesman said the conservative nature of the group had nothing to do with Halter's failure to respond to the questions. Democrat Attorney General candidate Dustin McDaniel spokeswoman cited time constraints for McDaniel not answering the questionnaire. Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mike Beebe's campaign said "not every interest group's questionnaire can be filled out." Read More