So Have I Mentioned This Guy Ken Aden Yet?

Yeah, yeah, I know, we’ve technically been pulling for Ken Aden since he got in this race….oh okay there’s been no technically to it.  But let’s face it, this guy is awesome.  Whatever “it” is in politics, he’s got it.  I mean how can you not like a guy who goes out of his way to bring toys to foster kids and sets up resume building workshops and job fairs in communities hit by job losses.  For that matter, how could any real Democrat not get behind a candidate that stands up for Democratic values, isn’t afraid of a tough fight, and is actually running an assertive campaign?  So we’re making it official.  There’s not likely to be an opponent that steps up in the primary here, and even if there was we’d still be backing Ken.  He’s earned our support, and if he keeps running the kind of campaign he is, it’s not impossible that he could actually pull this off.

Again, this is a tough race and we’re under no illusions here.  But Democrats that are writing off this district are doing a great disservice to the party.  It’s the fastest growing area of the state and as the first and fourth districts dwindle in population Democrats are going to have to start running aggressive ground games there to be competitive statewide.  Think about it-Shane Broadway and Pat O’Brien were winning until the results from NWA started ticking in.  If we can’t start winning the Latinos and new voters in that district over now, how are we going to fare in 2014 when everything statewide is up for grabs?  Aden’s made voter registration a big part of his campaign, and that’s going to be important for the future of the party.  More importantly, he’s already started going door to door in January (remember, Democrats in Arkansas rarely do this and if they do it tends to be after August…which of course is a stupid mistake) and started talking with people one on one, and that’s important both for his chances and for the down ballot ticket as I can think of few better faces to put on the party than Ken’s.  It’s not totally out of the realm of possibility that Ken could win this either.  Seems like every time Womack opens his mouth he shoots himself in the foot, and he’s quickly proving to be very unlikeable.  I’ve had my beefs with Griffin and Crawford, but even they know how to keep their tempers and be nice to irate constituents.  Womack seems to find such behavior to be beneath him, and that’s a turn off to most voters regardless of their political stripes.  And hey, even if Aden doesn’t win this, he’s making sure Womack keeps showing that unbecoming side and voicing his opinion on positions that are going to make him unelectable statewide.  Besides that, Bill Clinton (the man a lot of people are comparing Ken to of late) didn’t win his first race here, but it still propelled his political career…

So, that said, there is one thing that worries me about this race.  Fundraising.  Ken doesn’t come from a wealthy family-to say he comes from humble roots would be an understatement.  He doesn’t have a lot of money or a lot of wealthy connections.  He’s a middle class guy, and he’s not from the political establishment or the blue blood clique in Fayetteville, so he’s going to need all the help in that area we can give him.  So we’ve officially added him to our ActBlue page, and we’re again encouraging you to give what you can, as much as you can.  This is a politician who is not owned by corporations and never will be.  Ken puts people first, so let’s show Steve Womack what people power can do.

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