Morgan stumps in Marion

Morgan stumps in Marion

Hutchinson’s challenger in primary makes the rounds in Crittenden County

news@theeveningtimes.com

Jan Morgan knew it would be an uphill battle when she decided to challenge Governor Asa Hutchinson and the party establishment in the Republican primary.

But after traveling the state for six months and listening to the concerns of average Arkansans, Morgan said she couldn’t sit by and watch the current governor continue to grow state government and govern more like a Democrat.

“This is not a race between Jan Morgan and Asa Hutchinson,” Morgan said.

“This is a race between big government and the people.”

Morgan made a second visit to Crittenden County last week, stopping off in Marion for burgers and milk shakes at The Shake Shack and speaking with supporters in West Memphis before heading off to meet voters at Esperanza Bonanza.

Morgan, a former investigative television news reporter who now runs a gun range in Hot Springs and is a gun rights analyst on Fox Business News, has been putting in 19 hour days seven days a week visiting every corner of the state no matter how small, meeting with voters.

At each stop she has been pointing out the major differences between her and Governor Hutchinson on the issues. Morgan is for cutting taxes, while her opponent has raised taxes on Arkansans.

“We are one of the poorest states in American but are among the most heavily taxed,” Morgan said. “Our governor has had four years to do something about that but hasn’t.”

She’s for eliminating waste and reducing the size of government , while Hutchinson has increased state spending by over $600 million in his four years in office. “His record on spending is the biggest in Arkansas history,” Morgan said. “I don’t want the Republican Party in Arkansas to go down in history with a record like that.”

Morgan favors legislation to prohibit sanctuary cities and college campuses. Her opponent is opposed.

“I support legal immigration,” Morgan said. “Our governor does not. He supports sanctuary cities and sanctuary college campuses and his record proves that.”

Morgan also has taken Hutchinson to task for his muddled response to gun rights. She says Arkansas is a constitutional carry state meaning every citizen has a right to carry a fire arm openly or concealed without a permit.

“It is terribly upsetting that after four years of Republican leadership that we have more people confused about what their gun rights are,” Morgan said.

Morgan also is opposed to Hutchinson’s Arkansas Works program, which was part of Obamacare to entice states to expand Medicaid.

About 285,000 Arkansans are now enrolled in the program.

“Arkansas Works has been a financial disaster for this state,” Morgan said. “Asa Hutchinson was told at the outset do not expand Medicare. It is a disaster waiting to happen. It looks good at the outset because you get all this federal money coming in. But every year you are in the program, the amount of federal money becomes less and less and it becomes a huge financial burden on the state.”

Morgan said she has heard from people across the state that Arkansas Works has actually taken money away from the people who need it the most.

“I have learned that there are thousands of people in the state who have developmentally disabled children or family members who are on a waiting list who can’t even get in to get evaluated and get the assistance,” Morgan said. “This is intentional because state government knows they will get in and cost them more money. Yet the ones who seem to get the help are the able bodied people who can work.”

Morgan said the state has become a cesspool of corruption and that Hutchinson has strong-armed Republican legislators to vote for bills to grow state government and has not governed like a conservative.

“We can’t do four more years of what we have,” Morgan said.

Hutchinson has so far refused to debate Morgan.

“If I was his campaign manager, I wouldn’t let him debate me either,” Morgan said. “That is not a record you can defend.”

Unlike the well-financed Hutchinson, Morgan’s campaign doesn’t have money for TV and radio ads and has been entirely grass roots. All of her campaign staff are unpaid volunteers.

She said she is encouraged by the growing turnout at her events and the number of billboards popping up across the state that are paid for by ordinary citizens.

“We don’t even know who is paying for those,” Morgan said. “Most of my supporters don’t have a lot of money. That’s fine with me. We don’t have the millions of dollars like my opponent. I’m proud of the fact that on election night we will be able to say we won a statewide race for governor with $130,000.”

In an April poll of 676 likely Republican primary voters by Talk Business & Politics and Hendrix College, 57.5 percent chose Hutchinson, with 30.5 percent favoring Morgan, and 12 percent undecided.

However, Morgan was the preferred choice in two recent unscientific polls. In a KARN News Radio 102.9 poll, 62 percent supported Morgan compared to 38 percent for Hutchinson.

And respondents in a poll by the Miller County Republican Party picked Morgan 72 percent to 28 percent for Hutchinson.

“The polls that aren’t bought and paid for, I’ve won,” Morgan said. “The one on KARN radio — that’s Little Rock. That’s the governor’s home turn.

He has a weekly time slot on that station. He should have totally annihilated me. And I did not even mention the poll to anybody or encourage anybody to vote. I watched it and we were at 60 and 70 percent and it stayed consistent there and I won. It was the same dramatic result on the Miller County Republican Party.”

Morgan pointed out that the polls also showed that Donald Trump wouldn’t win. She believes her status as an outsider trying to drain the Little Rock swamp will resonate with voters on May 22.

“I think the fact that I haven’t been in political office is an asset, not a liability,” Morgan said. “Ronald Reagan was an actor when he ran for governor. Donald Trump was not a politician. Look how well that is working. He’s out there every day taking the bullets from every direction. And who is he doing it for? For you and your children and your grandchildren. We’re all in it for the same reason. That’s why we are in this mess — because all those politicians are bought and paid for, including our governor.”

“We’re going to keep working hard. I hope you get out and tell your neighbors. It’s time to stand up and fight back and take control of our state government. A victory for Jan Morgan is a victory for all

of us.”

By Mark Randall