Curtis Coleman, who heads a food-safety services company, is the latest Arkansas Republican to test the waters for a possible bid to challenge Democratic Sen. Blanche Lincoln when she runs for a third term next year.
Coleman, the CEO of SafeFoods Corp. in North Little Rock, earlier this week filed paperwork to set up a federal "exploratory" committee that will enable him to raise money for a possible Senate run.
He is a long-time friend of Mike Huckabee, the Republican who was governor of Arkansas from 1996 to 2007, sought the 2008 GOP presidential nomination and is considered a possible contender in the 2012 White House contest. Coleman helped run Huckabee's first political race in 1992, when the Southern Baptist minister unsuccessfully challenged Democratic Sen. Dale Bumpers.
So far the only other declared Republican candidate is Kim Hendren, the minority leader of the state Senate. Hendren stirred up controversy last week after he referred to New York Democratic Sen. Charles E. Schumer as "that Jew" in a speech before an Arkansas Republican group, a remark for which he subsequently apologized.
But it appears quite possible that the field for the May 2010 primary will grow. Other Republicans reportedly considering the Senate race include former U.S. attorney Tim Griffin, state Sen. Gilbert Baker and former University of Arkansas football player Chris Bequette.
Griffin has said he will make a decision by June 1. Baker told the Arkansas News this week that he was still interested but might wait to see if Lincoln faces a serious Democratic challenger in her primary.
-- Leah Nylen
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