David Pryor picked to lead party

Mark seems more likely to be made chairman of Republican party, but his dad stays the course!


Governor taps elder Pryor as chairman
BY SETH BLOMELEY
Posted on Saturday, September 6, 2008
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/adg/News/236488
Gov. Mike Beebe announced Friday that David Pryor is his pick to replace the late Bill Gwatney as interim Democratic Party chairman.
Pryor, a widely respected former governor and senator, is the ideal person for the job and the first person he called, Beebe said.
“I wanted someone who had stature, stability, loyalty and who obviously is a leader,” Beebe said. “My only concern was ‘will he do it ?’ He’s a busy guy.”
Pryor, 74, of Little Rock said he had to think about it because he’s “no spring chicken” and is involved in several things. But he concluded that the Democratic Party has been good to him and it was an offer he couldn’t turn down.
“We’re going to have a lot of fun,” Pryor said. “We’re going to stir the state up. I really think the Bush years, these last eight years, will pretty much speak for themselves. I do think we’ll have a lot to say about the change we need.”
He said he’s already contacted his former colleague in the U. S. Senate, Dale Bumpers, to travel with him in Arkansas to promote Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama, a U. S. senator from Illinois, and running mate Joe Biden, a U. S. senator from Delaware.
“We’re going to be meeting with all the state former party chairs in a few days,” Pryor said. “We’re going to be meeting with state elected officials and the congressional delegation. We’re going to try to do everything we can throughout the state to carry our state for Obama-Biden.”
\Being party chairman is a volunteer part-time job. That will allow Pryor to continue his roles as a board member of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, as a political science class teacher at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, and as a book promoter.
Pryor’s memoir, A Pryor Commitment, will be released Sept. 16. He addressed the media Friday at the Central Arkansas Library main office where he picked up his first bound copy.
Gwatney was fatally shot Aug. 13 by Timothy Dale Johnson of Searcy, an intruder at the party headquarters with no apparent connection to Gwatney, police have said. Johnson was later fatally shot by police after a chase.
Beebe said he called Pryor about being chairman a couple of weeks ago, shortly before the Democratic National Convention in Denver. He told Pryor he didn’t want an answer immediately and only asked that he think about it. Afterward, Pryor met with party staff members and let Beebe know after the convention that he would accept. They agreed to delay the announcement until after the Republican National Convention, which ended Thursday.
A message left Friday with state Republican Party Chairman Dennis Milligan of Bryant wasn’t immediately returned.
Gwatney’s two-year term would have expired early next year, when the party convenes to select a new chairman. Beebe said he only expects Pryor to serve the remainder of Gwatney’s term, although he would have been happy if Pryor wanted to serve longer. Pryor said he wouldn’t seek a full term.
The party’s state committee, which has about 500 people, has authority to decide whether to accept Beebe’s recommendation. The date and place of the meeting to take up the recommendation hasn’t been determined, party spokesman Darinda Sharp said.
Pryor’s son, U. S. Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Ark., faces only a Green Party nominee in this year’s Senate race.
David Pryor said his focus will be the presidential race since there are no statewide contested races against Republicans.
He’ll also work to get Joe White of Conway elected to the state Senate in Faulkner County. White, a Democrat, is challenging Sen. Gilbert Baker, R-Conway, a former chairman of the state GOP. Pryor said he has an event scheduled with White in Conway sometime in the next two weeks.
He said he’s not aware of any other races that need his help.
“But if they call me, I’ll come,” he said. “I’m going to try to visit as many counties as possible.”
Pryor is also a former legislator and congressman from Camden.
Arkansas is generally thought of as leaning toward giving its six electoral votes to Republican John McCain.
Pryor said he has “no idea” whether the Obama campaign will invest heavily in advertising and staff to win Arkansas. He said Arkansas is “basically” a Democratic state, but the Obama campaign may have concluded that the chances of a win in Arkansas would be “challenged.”
Obama hasn’t been to the state since 2006, when he supported Beebe’s candidacy for governor. Beebe has said he thinks Obama needs to come to Arkansas again if the Democratic Party is to carry the state in the presidential race.
“It sure would help if Sen. Obama would come here,” Pryor said. “I don’t know what his schedule is for the fall. But I can tell you this: We will be on his trail to come to Arkansas. It would surely add to the enthusiasm for his campaign if he comes. We’ll have our congressional delegation and Sens. Pryor and [Blanche ] Lincoln on his doorstep begging him to come. We’ll have Gov. Beebe constantly begging him to come to our state.”

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