The line is open and you can see our video headline report above.

Lead topic in the roundup is David Ramsey’s deep and even-handed look at Republican Rep. Tom Cotton, who’s challenging Democratic Sen. Mark PryorIt’s our cover story this week. 

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The Cotton-Pryor campaign rages on — by one estimate $14 million has ALREADY been spent on TV advertising. Social media popular with politicos is stuffed with yammering about debates. Cotton thinks Pryor is dodging at KATV and KARK. Pryor thinks Cotton is dodging at the Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce and AETN.

I can report that, to date, Cotton is also not responding to the Arkansas Times. We’ve invited both Cotton and Mark Pryor to join Lindsey Millar and me for one of our unedited, free-form Friday afternoon podcasts. David Ray with the Cotton campaign has not responded to the invitation. The Pryor campaign has responded positively, if tentatively.

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We’re open to any Friday afternoon through November 4. Our preference is for a joint appearance. Erik Dorey of the Pryor campaign said they’d look for a day in August and September and asked to be apprised of a Cotton camp response, but he made clear at this point he’s thinking only of a Pryor appearance, not a debate.

Over to you, Mr. Ray. We’d prefer a dual appearance. But we’d also take one at a time.

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I think a radio-style feel — even with universal Internet distribution — could bring a Prairie Home Companion touch of conviviality to a race that could use some. I’d be of a mind to just say hello and let the candidates talk to each other if both would agree to sit down. (A realistic PS — I doubt that will happen.)

Speaking of the old days: Jimmy Bryant, the crack archivist at the University of Central Arkansas, shared some photos from his trove of political stuff today. Below is a photo from Ben Laney’s unsuccessful 1950 effort to retake the governor’s office from Sid McMath.

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Whoever put that advertising together on that truck didn’t charge $14 million to drive it around Arkansas for Laney.

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