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Have you ever wondered who controls Arkansas?

Follow the Money on 2018 Republican primaries to find out. The research team at Conduit for Commerce compiled an in-depth, comprehensive report following the money on selected 2018 Republican primaries. The takeaway is clear: establishment Republican candidates, whose votes favor bigger government, were elected with the large and unified financial support of Arkansas’ most established long-time special interest groups, which hold no party allegiance.

Conservative, limited government groups have a way to go before they see more of  their limited government candidates win election in Arkansas GOP primaries.

Conduit for Commerce collected contribution records from the Arkansas Secretary of State Financial Disclosure website, then sorted, tagged, and analyzed those against additional research of the contributing persons. This analysis allowed grouping between similar interests, entities, and persons. We could see who were the “big players” in Arkansas politics, whether contributions came inside or outside a legislative district, and allowed for a peak at the special interests behind the political contributions.

The reader is encouraged to use these findings as a blueprint for predicting future votes by these elected officials as various special interest issues come before the Legislature in January 2019.

If you want to know which way the political winds are blowing, it helps to know which way the campaign funds are flowing.

The report provides in depth analysis of fundraising for the following state legislative primaries:

Breanne Davis vs. Bob Bailey – State Senate District 16

Representative James Sturch vs. Senator Linda Collins-Smith – State Senate District 19

Cole Peck vs. Representative Dan Sullivan – House District 53

Representative Bob Ballinger vs. Senator Bryan King – Senate District 5

Representative Mat Pitsch vs. Frank Glidewell – Senate District 8

Scroll through or download the full report below. 

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