LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - A Republican congressman in central Arkansas whom Democrats hope to unseat this fall launched a campaign ad Tuesday in which he touts the federal coronavirus relief the state has received, as negotiations over further assistance remain deadlocked in Washington.
U.S. Rep. French Hill, who has represented Arkansas’ 2nd Congressional District since 2015, launched the ad a week after Democratic rival Joyce Elliott began airing a spot. Hill’s campaign wouldn’t say how much it’s spending to air the spot, but reports filed with the Federal Communications Commission show it has spent at least $32,000 to run it on Little Rock television stations through the end of August.
“It’s been a tough year, but here in Arkansas we’re resilient, quick to bounce back, and hard to keep down,” Hill says in the ad.
Hill’s ad doesn’t mention President Donald Trump or Elliott.
Efforts for new emergency relief have stalled out in Washington, and hopes for a swift compromise have dwindled.
More than 53,000 people in Arkansas have tested positive for the virus and 619 in the state have died from COVID-19.
Elliott said Hill’s vote for the virus aid shouldn’t be viewed in isolation and said more work needs to be done.
“I do think it’s important that we not at this point act as if we have gotten past where we need to be with the pandemic because there’s so much more that needs to be done,” she said.
In her ad last week, Elliott talked about her background as a teacher and a legislator and criticized Hill over his vote for the 2017 tax cut bill.
Elliott, a state senator from Little Rock, ran for the 2nd District seat in 2010 but lost to Republican Tim Griffin, who is now the state’s lieutenant governor. Democrats in recent years have viewed the district as their best chance of flipping a seat in the solidly red state. Republicans hold all four of Arkansas’ House seats and both U.S. Senate seats.
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