Are Utility Companies & Others Buying the Arkansas Attorney General Race?

Utility companies and business lobby groups with whom Dustin McDaniel would have a conflict-of-interest if he were elected Attorney General are pouring money into McDaniel's campaign race. Why? Because they expect a return on their money! So far, McDaniel has raised roughly $ 1.4 million. His opponent Gunner Delay has raised a little more than $ 176, 000. This could the race where the voters "pay" dearly in the future.

Gunner DeLay has taken Dustin McDaniel to task for taking thousands and thousands of dollars in contributions from utility companies in an Arkansas Democrat-Gazette story. Delay makes the point that this is a clear conflict of interest since the Attorney General has the role of protecting Arkansas ratepayers from excessive rate hikes. Arkansas Code Annotated 23-4-302 states that it?s the attorney general?s responsibility to hold the line in hearings and other proceedings against excessive increases in utility rates.

Will the apparent buying of the Attorney General race get out to the general public? Will voters rise up to vote to protect their future? Haven't the utility companies and others in related industries made enough off the citizens of Arkansas in the last few years? If McDaniel wins this race, voters and their families can expect to pay higher utility rates and other fees. [P.S., the above did not address McDaniel's unwillingness to take action, if elected, to reduce the employment of illegal aliens in Arkansas - again Arkansas' legal voters and workers lose!]