CONWAY (KTHV) - The four candidates hoping to be the next congressman from Arkansas' Fourth Congressional District came together Thursday for a debate in Conway.
It was mostly civil debate Thursday at the AETN studios in Conway. But there were still some frank remarks by some of the candidates, tackling everything from our country's wars to boosting economic development in a district that encompasses the largest portion of the state.
If you we're looking for a candidate at this debate not holding back, Libertarian Candidate Bobby Tullis came out winning.
"I might as well just get it out and say what I believe, Congress sucks," Tullis said.
Tullis joined the stage Thursday as one of four candidates in the 4th Congressional District Race.
"I'm the guy who will go and poke the D.C. insiders with a stick until they do right," Tullis said.
Green Party Candidate Joshua Drake pushed green jobs and ending our wars.
"Here we are 11 years later, 11 years of blank checks to pay for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and we still have soldiers in both areas and both places are still in shambles," Drake said.
State Senator Gene Jeffress, running as a Democrat, seemed to be pushing name-recognition a lot.
"You know Gene Jeffress was born in the 4th District," Jeffress said.
He pushed his native District 4 roots and more economic development through teaching.
"We've got to educate folks, that's what I spent my life doing, people need education," Jeffress said.
His main opponent in this race is Republican Tom Cotton, who took some jabs about deep pockets and his commitment to District 4.
"I learned the values of my life growing up on a small farm in Yell County and understand the struggles of farmers keeping them up at night and make them get up in the morning," Cotton said.
It's a sense of Arkansas, not up for debate for Cotton.
Cotton also pushed a lot of anti-Obama remarks during the debate, saying he'd repeal the federal healthcare law and we can't take another four years of his administration. And at one point, Jeffress chimed in, saying Cotton seems like he's running against the president more than his District 4 opponents.
This debate was put on by the Arkansas Educational Television Network.